Different Life
by azusa.h.snape
Summary: Severus Snape dies in the shrieking shack with regrets. Next thing he knows, he is in a familiar surrounding, back in time to his childhood. Someone has given him a second chance in life, and Severus is determined to make the most of it.
1. Chapter 1 End of the Beginning

At first, he did not feel a thing. Then, he felt the excruciating pain in his neck. He could feel his blood flowing, and the venom numbing his whole body. He was not sure which pain was stronger, the physical pain or the pain from the guilt of not being able to fulfill the last wishes of his mentor. Then, the green of his beloved eyes was on him. No, he told himself. This green is a shade darker. Maybe he would be able to finish his job after all.

"Take it …"

He prayed Potter would view his memory and understand the last message from Dumbledore. He would not know the outcome of the war, but he did his best to fulfill the last request of his mentor.

This year as a headmaster turned out to be the most difficult year of his life and resulted in a revelation. He knew he was a mean and petty man. His sharp tongue and cool demeanor had given others an impression of being unfeeling and cruel. However, this year, he underestimated how stressful it would make him act cruelly. Before Dumbledore's death, he had become used to taking care of his students, how irritating and stupid they may be. He would not have minded putting his life on the line to save any of his students. However, under the watchful eyes of the Death Eaters this year, he had to act as if he did not care at all whether a student died through the Carrow's cruel treatment or not. He did not think it would be this challenging to act evil, even though at one point he was a true Death Eater. He will not deny the fact that he had killed and maimed under orders. Although, the number of kills was not as high as Dumbledore may have imagined, and it was three.

The first killing he did was his own father; a muggle kill to show his faith to join the Dark Lord's cause. The second kill was under orders from the Dark Lord, and it was a man who was the previous potion master for the Dark Lord. The man who Severus could not recall the name, had failed to create a potion which was not hard at all for anyone having a mastery in potions. The Dark Lord had found out that the man had just bought his way to mastership and had lied to him about his ability. Severus did not feel any remorse killing a man who lied of his ability in potions. For him, it was a crime equal to death to pose as a potion master, where everyone would blindly drink their concoction. Severus had, of course, replaced the man's place and had gained favor from the Dark Lord by being the best potion master within the Death Eaters. The third kill was the headmaster, and this kill was by far the hardest kill he had ever made. Other than that, he never went out of his way to kill or torture an innocent. In fact, he tried everything within his power to evade a situation like that.

He never truly did fit in with the other Death Eaters, though he did try to blend in with them because it was the only place where he could openly pursue the Dark Arts. His knowledge of the Dark Arts grew under the Dark Lord's service. However, the more he studied the Art, the lesser his interest became of using any of the spells he learned. He became more interested in creating anti-dotes and shielding spells for every Dark spell he learned, thus his wanting to teach Defense of the Dark Arts. His knowledge was the only reason Dumbledore was able to live long enough the previous year, although nobody appreciated his effort including Dumbledore. He saw the disappointment in the headmaster's eyes when he answered he could only prolong his life for a year utmost, even though, the great Albus Dumbledore himself would not have been able to create the potion he made and would have died within the week by that horrible curse.

No one ever cared for his brilliance, nor appreciated any of his inventions. He was not able to publish any of his work due to his position as a "spy." Dumbledore had discouraged him to publicize any of his findings from the fear of someone finding out his status as a former Death Eater. The former headmaster did not even take his time to review any of his works or else Dumbledore would have suggested publicizing the work under an alias. His years of research and findings such as improved potions, antidotes, and counter curses could have helped a lot of people, but now they will never be shared with anyone. This vast knowledge will die with him at this dirty floor of the Shrieking Shack.

However, this was not the regret filling his current mind. The brighter green eyes, which he never saw after graduating Hogwarts was the only thing he truly cared. If only he had made a different choice. If only he was not too much of a child to see the difference between true kindness, and people being nice for their own benefit.

He was a gullible and naïve boy who craved for love and attention and did not understand true evil and cunning. He thought he knew evil through his father's cruelty, but it is hard to understand something you never possessed. After all of his suffering and hard life, the last year had him realize that he was not evil, and never could be evil. He can act cruel and petty, like how he was with the Potter brat, but he could never kill an innocent and feel no remorse. Charity Burbage was still on his conscience, which he would never forget as long as he lived. Which would not be much longer, since he was losing all of his senses now. The last thing on his mind was the green eyes smiling and everything went blank.

Next thing Severus saw was a dirty ceiling with cracks in the corner. He was disoriented, not understanding where he was. The room was dark and familiar, and most importantly, he did not feel the excruciating pain or numbness in his body but only the familiar ache on his back. Did someone find him in time? Severus was sure if he did survive the snakebite, then he would be sent to Azkaban in a matter of time. He was not sure how much time he had before facing the dementors. He just prayed he will get the kiss rather than life imprisonment. He hoped someone will enter soon and explain his situation.

When he really looked at the room though, he noticed how the room looked nothing like a hospital. The room did look bare like a prison, but there were a desk and a calendar that looked very familiar to him. Then, he heard the familiar voice yelling from downstairs. The hated voice of his drunken father and a loud crash of something breaking.

He hurriedly woke up and opened the door, his mind turning its wheel. Is he in hell with his parents? Why does hell look just like his old house in Spinner's End?

He then saw the looming figure of his father, just about to strike his cowering mother. When he was little, he was too scared to defend his mother, for he knew the beatings he would get was far worse than what his mother got. However, now that he was older, he could no longer just watch his mother be beaten, so he rushed down the stairs to tackle his father. Well, he at least tried. He did not anticipate his father being a lot taller and bigger than he was. No, that was not it. He was the one smaller as if he was still a mere child. His whole weight did not give any impact on his father but just made him stagger and stop hitting his wife. Both of his parents were surprised to see their son coming into their fight. Severus' action just fueled the anger of his father, and he backhanded his son towards the floor.

"You little shit! What do you think you're doing! You don't raise your hand to your elder, boy! I'll show you respect!"

Tobias changed his target from his wife to his son and pulled on his son's hair to get a better angle to hit the face repeatedly.

"No!"

Eileen tried to come between the two to protect her only son. Severus felt dizzy from his father's repeated attack but noticed that his father was now hitting and kicking both himself and his mother with hatred and anger. His body ached and blood started to splatter.

Severus tried to cover his mother to take most of the brunt, but his body was too small and his mother was trying to do the same. Tobias' assault did not seem to stop, and he feared his father would not stop until both of them were dead. Severus concentrated hard on his magic to apparate the two of them to a safe place he knew. He was not sure if he could do wandless magic with him being this small, but he did know how to do it since he had done it countless times with worse injuries during his years as a double agent. He prayed for his success to apparate without splinching either of them. Next thing they knew, they were in front of a huge gate.

It had been a while since he came to the old Prince estate, which he inherited a few years back after his grandparents passed away. Severus was not even aware then that his grandparents were still alive and well, while his mother was killed by his father, and his father killed by his own hands.

Severus only came to this place once and talked to the portrait of his grandparents. They both regretted their treatment of Eileen, but they also did not know how to amend their relationship, and just kept to themselves for a very long time. Severus asked why they did not try to contact him, and both of them answered that they were not aware of any of the happenings of their daughter, since their daughter never contacted them. They had added Eileen and her children into their will, thinking that the reason for her daughter not contacting them was because she was having a happy life as a muggle. Severus did not know at the time what to think of his grandparents. Nevertheless, he knew they were the only hope to help his mother.

The instant Severus was certain of his success in apparating to Prince Manor, the world turned black again.


	2. Chapter 2 The Princes

Eileen was relieved that the assault by Tobias had ended and opened her eyes to a sight she had not seen for more than a decade. They had both ended up at her old house. Her son's bout of accidental magic had somehow brought them to a place where he should not have even known existed. She was in pain and noticed blood all over her clothes. She then saw the limp form of her son. His face was severely bruised from the repeated beatings, and the nose looked broken. He was clearly unconscious and his breathing was shallow, which meant her son was suffering from some kind of internal injuries as well. She could not move much because of the pain from all over her body, and they needed help right away. Eileen was not sure if the Prince house elf will respond to her help, but she had to try.

"Tippy"

She prayed for her formal house elf to respond.

"What does Mistress want from Tippy, ma'am?"

The house elf responded right away with the distinctive crack. Its eyes rounded with disbelief with what it saw.

"Mistress Eileen, you is hurt!"

"Please call either of my parents. They need to help my boy as soon as possible. Hurry please..."

She said breathlessly, trying to overcome the pain.

"Yes! Tippy will bring Master and Mistress right away, ma'am!"

The last thing she heard through her fading conscious was the loud crack of the house elf apparating to its master of the house.

"Master Prince, sir! Mistress Eileen is at the door, sir! Mistress need help, sir!"

Maximus Prince was reading the latest issue of Potions Today in his sala when he heard the distress voice of one of his house elves. He was not sure if he heard her correctly, so he asked the house elf to repeat the words.

"Mistress Eileen called Tippy to bring Master or Mistress to the gate, sir. They need is help, sir."

"Well, let them in right away and bring her here so I can hear what she needs."

"Yes, Tippy will bring them right away, sir!"

"Wait! Tippy, what do you mean by them? She isn't alone?"

Tippy nodded to her master.

"Mistress Eileen is with a boy, sir! They both is need help!"

The head of the house was surprised by this news. At least she did not bring that shady muggle with her. The boy may be her son, an heir he longed for.

"Bring them both in here and call Valeria to come here right away."

"Yes, Tippy will bring them here, sir"

Maximus was not sure what to think of the sudden appearance of his daughter. He regretted every moment after he yelled at his only daughter and disowned her for her choice in marriage. He knew his decision was the correct choice, though he should have at least kept up with her whereabouts. If he had done that, he and his wife would have had the pleasure to meet their grandson. He truly hoped Eileen would give him a chance to know her child. However, he was not ready at all to see the horrible site of the two people he was preparing himself to meet.

"Tippy is bringing them here, sir!"

Tippy was scared when she saw her formal mistress unconscious at the gate. She first thought of trying to wake Eileen up, but then changed her mind knowing her Master would know best to help them. The house elf grabbed the two prone figure and apparated all directly to the master's sala.

Maximus could not believe what he was seeing. Even through the bruise and the blood, and the changes the years apart had brought on, he could still identify his beloved daughter who was lying limp on the floor of the sala. Next to her lay a small body, similarly bruised, bloodied, and unconscious. He seemed no older than six or seven.

"Tippy will call Mistress, sir"

The voice of the house elf had helped Maximus regain from the shock. He called out for several other house elves while he reached his wand to do the diagnostic charm. He noticed the little boy was in worse condition than his daughter was, and asked one of the house elves to bring healer Madison together with healer Hollande, a pediatric healer, right away.

"Tell them this is an emergency, and let them bring all the potions necessary to treat the severe injury for both adult and a child!"

Maximus then ordered the others to clean up the room with two beds that was close by from his current location, so he would not need to further aggravate the two bodies when moving them. He knew the safest way to move them was to immobilize them and lift them up and bring them slowly into the room. He feared the apparition by the house elf might have worsened some of their injuries. The two could not afford any more strain on their body or they may lose their life. He was concerned about the shallow breathing of the little boy, whose face was paling with every passing second.

Maximus was no healer but had learned basic healing charms when he was working at the St. Mungo's Research Lab. Of course, he did not work there for long, opening up his own research lab recruiting some of the brightest minds he met and providing a freer environment than of St. Mungos. This environment had allowed the researcher to flourish, and the lab soon became one of the renowned labs in the whole magical world.

The Prince fortune, which was already vast as it was, had tripled its worth and pushed them up to be the richest family Gringotts ever had. No other family was even close to their caliber. However, this fact was only known by Gringotts and the goblin world and Maximus went to great length to keep a low profile in the wizarding world. Maximus was elated when he noticed his daughter inheriting the Prince potion skill, and was secretly counting the days to hand over his business to his daughter, until the day she said she was marrying the muggle.

Unlike most distinguished purebloods families, Princes never taught their child to discriminate between muggles and Muggle-born wizards and witches. Maximus was not an exception, and never had any problems with Muggles or Muggle-borns. He just did not get a good feeling from the muggle Eileen had chosen. To Maximus' dismay, the more he tried to break them apart, the more it fueled his young daughter's heart with the love towards the muggle. His fear of losing his vast fortune to the unworthy muggle had ultimately forced Maximus to disown his only daughter. However, he stated clearly in his will that their money should go only to his daughter and her children upon both of the elder Prince's death, and giving no rights to the muggle. He thought that if he gave his daughter everything, she may eventually forgive him for disowning her. Although Maximus regretted the treatment, he strongly believed that he made the correct choice. His instincts towards people were always correct, and he could never shake off the bad feelings he got from the muggle Eileen had chosen. He just hoped that one day she would come to her senses and divorce the muggle.

Maximus slowly put the two of them on each of their beds and undid the immobilizing charm. He then performed the general healing charms on both of them and noticed her daughter's pale face regaining some of its colors. He was worried about the little boy who did not seem to respond to his spell. He knew the boy was in worse condition than Eileen was, but maybe it was much worse than he expected. He wanted to try the spell again when he heard rushing footsteps coming from the corridor. The first one on the scene was luckily healer Hollande.

"Lord Prince, I heard there was an accident, and you were in need for me to see a child."

Healer Hollande noticed the small limp form right away and started to work on the boy.

"How was he injured? Why wasn't he sent to St. Mungo's?"

"I don't know how or why they came here, but they were both at the gate in this state, and I felt I shouldn't aggravate their injuries further by attempting to move them to St. Mungo's."

He noticed the healer's face turning graver, the more he treated the boy.

"This was no accident, was it? This kind of injuries can only be caused by direct assault towards the boy. Do you know what happened, sir? "

"We have yet to wait for my daughter to regain her consciousness."

Maximus answered, with obvious worry in his tone. That was when both his wife and healer Madison came in.

"What is happening, Maximus, why is healer Madison..."

Valeria could not finish her sentence by the shocking site of the two bodies on the bed. Healer Madison on the other hand quickly moved to Eileen's bedside and started the healing. Healer Madison seemed to have an easier time healing his patient while healer Hollande's treatment of the boy was progressing very slowly. Maximus noticed his wife's pleading eyes for an explanation, so he guided her slowly out of the room to the corridor.

"Valeria, I myself do not know what is happening. I just know that Tippy came to me with distress, saying that Eileen was at our gate asking for help. I initially thought Eileen had finally come by for my advice and told Tippy to bring her to me. Imagine my shock when I saw Tippy apparating the two severely injured body to our sala. I then told Tippy to fetch you, and then Mindy to fetch healer Madison and healer Hollande."

Valeria took in the information and slowly walked towards the room she just came from. She went closer to her daughter's bed, and Maximus silently followed. Maximus noticed that Eileen looked much better than how she was mere minutes ago. Healer Madison was looking through his potion kit, putting several potions by the side table. When the healer seemed satisfied with the selection on the table, he then started to magically dose Eileen with those potions. When both of the Princes noticed the improvement of her condition, both of their attention switched to the figure next to their daughter.

"Do you think... is the boy hers? I think he looks like her, doesn't he?"

Valeria quivered by the site of the damaged and swollen face, and choked on the words, last part coming out as a whisper.

Healer Hollande was concentrating on one of the hardest spells he knew to cure the internal injuries, specifically the punctured lung by the broken rib. He had to carefully take out and vanish the broken bone, stop the bleeding, mend the lung, all simultaneously while clearing the lung with any excess fluid and looking out for any abnormality in the boy's breathing. The healer was happy to see the color returning to the boy's face when he had successfully healed the inner injuries. Now he had to reset the boy's jaw and nose, which seemed to have been broken more than once. In fact, he thought of removing the bone and just use a Skele-Gro rather than just setting the current bones, since some part of his nose had not been set right and had healed over it in a wrong angle. He actually noticed several other bones with the same problem and thought it best to just heal everything at once while the boy was unconscious. However, he was more concerned with how low the magical core was. If the boy used any more magic, he may end up in a magical coma where he would never regain consciousness. It was difficult for children to control their magic, so he was thinking of using a magic dampening bubble charm around the boy to stop him from using any accidental magic for a while. Considering the boy's condition and age, the boy may have to be in the bubble for at least three weeks to replenish the magical core. The downside to this was that the potions would take a lot more time to work due to the low magical field. That means the boy will be in pain from the Skele-Gro for far more than the normal 12 hours. Furthermore, the boy will not be able to relieve his pain through the pain reliever potion while in the bubble. He will need to put the boy under a sleeping spell for at least five days until the pain reliever can take its effect. One thing that was a relief to the healer was the fact that the bruise salve can be effective even with the bubble.

Healer Hollande carefully explained the need and the reason for the magical dampening bubble over the little boy. Maximus was first delighted to hear the existence of the magical core of the boy but was then concerned with the reason for such magical exhaustion. The only reason for magical exhaustion was through the use of advanced wandless magic. He would understand if Eileen exhausted her magic by apparating both of them to a highly warded Prince estate wandlessly, but how can a boy this small exhaust his magical core by a bout of accidental magic.

Another concern Maximus had was the lack of Eileen's wand. When did she lose her wand? Did she drop it on her way here? Did she lose it long before she came for help? Was she suffering for a longer time? The last question was answered by the loud gasp of his wife. Healer Madison had been applying the bruising salve on Eileen, and when they turned her over, they saw multiple belt marks across her back and her thighs. Then another gasp was heard from Healer Hollande, revealing similar marks across the little back of the boy. The boy's marks unlike Eileen's were in various healing stages, showing the repeated beatings he had been suffering for quite a period of time.

"Oh Merlin, help us!"

Valeria no longer tried to hide her distress but started to sob in her hand.

It was healer Hollande who spoke next.

"Lord Prince, you do realize that I will have to report this as child abuse to the MLE."

"Yes, and I will do everything in my power to put the one responsible to get the dementor's kiss."

Maximus was angry beyond words. He suspected this was done by that filthy muggle she had chosen to marry, but needed the actual statement from his daughter to arrest the muggle.

When both healers finished their treatment and showed them all of the findings of their past injuries, Maximus and Valeria were livid. They both could not just sit and wait for Eileen to regain consciousness, so they started to do something more productive.

Maximus called his lawyer right away and explained the situation, wanting consultant on the best way to approach in gaining the maximum sentence and suffering a muggle can get. He also proceeded to gather all the papers for divorce and giving the Prince name to the two unconscious figures.

"What is your grandson's name?"

Lawyer Gaston asked the head of the house.

"I am ashamed to say that I do not know. I didn't even know of his existence until this afternoon when they showed up at our gate."

Maximus sighed in frustration.

"Well, we can always fill those in later, sir. We can just concentrate on your daughter's husband for now. I think the best way is to get your daughter's memories of the abuse. Even though the perpetrator is a muggle, we can still put him in Azkaban since he was legally married to a witch. This report of their past injuries by the healers alone will get him to Azkaban, but with the memories, I am sure we can have the kiss." Gaston had been Maximus lawyer for the past fifteen years. He knew Maximus had been sad for the past decade without his daughter. Although the situation was horrible, he was still happy for him to have his daughter back, and it seems the head of Prince would also be gaining an heir. He just prayed the boy would be bright enough to at least not squander all the money he knew Maximus had worked very hard to gain.

Valeria was making a shopping list for Eileen and her grandson. For now, they needed at least underwear and nightgowns and set of new clothes for going out. When Eileen recovers from her injuries, she will bring her daughter to Diagon Alley to get more clothes for the both of them. She then summoned the head of the house elf and ordered to put back Eileen's room to its previous state, and change the guest room next door to a children's room.


	3. Chapter 3 True Family

The two elder Prince was not able to rest much, for both were filled with worries over their child. It was in the early morning when they heard the beep of the monitoring charm to indicate their daughter was awake.

Eileen had never felt this rested in years, especially after Tobias had started to drink his problems. The drinking got worse when Severus showed his first sign of magic when he was four. Eileen did not know how to contact her parents since Tobias snapped her wand on that same day. She thought of going to the Leaky Cauldron but did not know how to get from their house to London. Tobias had successfully made Eileen ignorant of all muggle transportation and money. She never learned the worth of the muggle currency and was trapped in the confines of the house. She did not dare go out of the house with her small son, though her son seemed to find his way out wandering around the neighborhood on his own. She did not discourage him to learn about muggles, and she tried to teach him the ways as a wizard when Tobias was not aware. She hated being weak and defenseless without her wand. She regretted not learning wandless magic, or else she would have gotten away from Tobias when things had gotten worse, especially for her son.

The only thing positive that has come from this marriage was her son, who seemed to absorb everything she taught him like a sponge. She knew her son deserved much more than the painful life in Spinner's End, a life of abuse and poverty. She knew her son tried to keep everything magical to himself, but Severus seemed very powerful compared to herself as a child, that his emotions caused a bout of accidental magic here and there, and often times resulted in the belting. Tobias usually locked her in their room during those beatings. She was always frustrated and cried while listening to her son's screams from the other room. She could not even make any healing potions without the ingredients. The only thing she could do was to clean up his wounds and hold him while her son suffered from the injuries. Eileen had often apologized for her weakness, but her son always understood.

"It's alright, mother. One day, I will become a great wizard and protect you from horrible muggles like Father."

She cried harder, not knowing where his goodness came from. He did not inherit anything from Tobias but his straight black hair. Severus looked more like her and seemed to have inherited the Prince magic and intellect even though she never showed any good trait in front of his son but weakness and cowardice.

The only thing she could offer was her love and the limited supplies of her old Hogwarts book and magical knowledge. She was determined to let her son attend Hogwarts no matter what it took her, even selling all her belongings including the Prince heirloom she had secretly hidden from Tobias to the pawn shop close by. She will do anything for her son, the boy who tried to protect her from Tobias.

Eileen remembered her son's bruised and swollen face and hurriedly got up to find him. She found him right away on the bed next to her laying soundly surrounded by a faint blue bubble. She noticed his still swollen and bruised face and felt strong guilt fill her heart. There was a knock on the door, and she saw her parents coming into the room.

"Mother, Father!"

She wanted to rush into their arms but was not sure what they thought of their disowned child selfishly coming for help. Her hesitation was not unnoticed by either of the elder Prince. Valeria quickly walked towards her daughter and engulfed her with a tight hug.

"Eileen, we missed you so much! You should have come to us a lot sooner, dear." Valeria sobbed on Eileen's shoulder.

"I am sorry Eileen if I gave you the impression that you were not welcome to come for help. I regret that we did not at least keep in touch with you."

Maximus hugged over the two, which was a very rare thing for him to do.

"Oh, father, mother, I am so sorry too, to not listen to you about Tobias."

Eileen sobbed in her arms. Maximus stiffened hearing the name.

"So it was him that beat both of you like this."

Maximus demeanor changed to anger, and he started pacing the room.

"We wanted to arrest him right away, but we wanted to be certain that it was him who did this to you. We did not want to go up to him by pure accusation where Aurors would not be able to arrest, and that would have just given him the warning to escape before we collected all the evidence for the arrest."

Before anyone could say anything, they heard a loud moan from the next bed.

Severus was in pain he had not been since he was younger. He remembered the type of pain that came with the use of Skele-Gro. It was nothing compared to the Cruciatus Curse, and he knew he could block the pain by using Occlumency. However, he noticed his magic not responding, and could not block the pain. Was he finally in hell? How long will he have to endure this pain? He could hear the commotion around him and tried to open his eyes.

"The sleeping spell is wearing off. This should not be happening. He should still be under the spell for at least another four hours."

Maximus brought out his wand to re-apply the spell.

"Sleeping spell does not work on me."

Severus thought through the pain. He could even fight off it completely if he wanted to. After learning the art of mind magic, both Legilimency and Occlumency, Severus had become adept at blocking every magic that related to the mind from simple sleeping spell to the Imperious Curse. However, he knew it was better to sleep off the pain, so he welcomed his grandfather's spell and went into a deep sleep.

The three adults sighed in relief when the little boy went to sleep. While Severus slept, the three Princes had a long talk. Eileen had revealed the life in Spinner's End, how she was confined in the house because of her inability to travel.

"But you came to us yesterday, how did that happen?"

Maximus wanted to know how his daughter got away from that horrid muggle.

"It was Severus, Father. I don't know how he knew about this place, but it was his accidental magic that brought us here."

Maximus was surprised by this revelation.

"No wonder the boy's magical core was so low. You see the bubble he is in, it's the magical dampening charm. Healer Hollande said that your boy's magical core was so low that another bout of accidental magic may result in a magical coma, so he put that bubble up to stop him from using magic."

Eileen's face paled by her father's words.

"Oh, Merlin. Severus always cause accidental magic whenever his emotion is strong. He even does in his sleep. I am glad he is in the bubble right now."

Maximus and Valeria was surprised by Eileen's word.

"What do you mean all the time? Children's accidental magic is as the word say, "accidental," they don't do it all the time, Eileen. You do remember that you only had five or six incidents of accidental magic, do you not?"

It was Eileen who was surprised by her father's word.

"But, he has done magic so many times, father. It made Tobias angry every time he caught him using his magic. The scars on his back…"

Eileen choked on her word.

Maximus and Valeria remembered the belt marks on the boy's back. They also remembered how the marks were in various healing stages. Maximus could not believe how strong the magic of the boy was. He could not wait to meet him and check his ability.

"I should be glad he was able to bring us here. Severus was becoming too bright for me to handle alone. He is so smart and eager to learn, father. He had already memorized the entire recipe from the first-grade potion books. I think he is starting to understand the theory too and has been so eager to make potions. We didn't have any cauldron or ingredients so I wasn't able to let him make any, but I showed him cutting techniques which he learned all in just one day."

The elder couple was completely thrilled by Eileen's word. Maximus thought that Eileen was exaggerating, but still, he was glad the boy seemed to be interested in studying especially potions.

"We will be glad to find a tutor for Severus, as long as he will be willing to study."

Eileen smiled at her father's word. She knew her son would be elated with this news.

"So, Eileen, will you file for divorce and change yours and your son's name back to Prince?"

Maximus asked Eileen quietly, hoping she would say yes. Eileen could not believe her father's words. She thought her father would never forgive her choice but she was wrong. Tears started to fall from her eyes, and she could not form any words to describe her feelings. She just nodded and sobbed, and Maximus went to embrace his only daughter. Valeria smiled and could not help but cry as well. The Princes had their daughter back at last.


	4. Chapter 4 Waking up to a new life

It was five days later when Severus regained his consciousness. He felt an ache all over his body and was disoriented for a while. He remembered the snake attacking him, and then remembered giving his memories to the Potter boy, then dying. He also had a memory of being back in his old house. He recalled being a child and seeing his parents again. He was beaten by his Father to a pulp and then had to apparate away with his injured mother to the Prince estate. He also thought he heard his grandfather's voice talking about sleeping spell, but that may just be his imagination since he was in so much pain at the time. Is the pain over at last? He hoped so because he did not want to stay in this strange loop of dream and pain.

He slowly opened his eyes, and this time the room was not anything he had seen in his life. The bed he was sleeping was a four-poster bed, which looked a lot more expensive than the ones he used to have at Hogwarts. The other furniture matched the bed, and the entire room was spacious. Severus noticed a blue bubble surrounding himself that looked like a magic dampening charm. He moved his arms up and noticed his small hand.

So, he was still in a child's body. The last part of his memory had been real then. He did see his mother alive and that voice he heard must have been his grandfather. Severus started to move his body to ascertain his injuries when he heard the door open. Severus saw Eileen come in and smile as soon as their eyes met, and was surprised with how she looked. She was wearing a beautiful dress which fit her well, and it was his first time to see his mother looking as healthy and happy as she was.

"Severus, you are awake! I have been so worried about you. How are you feeling, dear?" Eileen hurried over to him, brushing a strand of his hair lovingly.

"I am fine, mother. How about you? Did father hurt you too much?"

Eileen was touched by her son's word. How could he think of her well being when his little body was still going through the healing process? Healer Hollande had been coming back to the Prince estate every day to check on Severus' progress. Yesterday, he told them that the Skele-Gro had finally healed all his broken bones, and the bruises were also healing well that they could stop applying the sleeping charm. The scars on Severus' back, however, would need a little more time for it to be removed completely. Eileen was so happy when healer Hollande told them that the scars on Severus back could be removed by the salve used to heal old wounds since he was still very young. Eileen's wound, however, could not be removed completely because the injuries were too old, but it could at least become a little lighter, so she was currently applying the salve on her back as well. Healer Hollande was surprised by the progress Severus was making with his magical core and had told them that he had never seen a child heal this fast from this much depletion within mere days. He told them that although the magical core was recovering quickly, it was still a little lower than he wanted it to be, so they kept the bubble up for now. Healer Hollande, however, was much more concerned about the psychological trauma of the little boy, and had instructed them how to look out for signs such as agitation, and nightmares, and have recommended getting help from a mind healer if needed.

"Where are we mother? Is father still around?"

Her son's question has made her realize that she had a lot to explain. She hoped his clever mind would understand the situation of his father.

"Severus, I need to explain what has happened after the beatings that day by your father."

Eileen drew her breath, and started to explain how they came about to her old home. She told him that his bout of accidental magic had brought them to her old house, and that her parents took them in. She continued on telling him that they will be taking the Prince name and will be living here because his father will be going far away. Severus listened silently to his mother's words, understanding the situation completely. His mother did not use any direct words in her explanation, but he assumed correctly that she had filed a divorce, and that Tobias had been arrested and was probably on his way to Azkaban.

"Because you used so much magic to bring both of us here, your magical core had depleted to a very serious level. This blue bubble you see around you will help you to not use any magic, because it may danger your life."

Eileen looked at her son who still looked tired, so she tucked him in and kissed him, telling him to rest some more.

Severus was not that sleepy, but his whole body did feel tired. He tried to sleep, but his mind was racing with all the questions he had. The most important question of all was the date, explicitly the year he was currently in. He could not just ask outright about the year, or else they may think he had damaged his brain. Severus was a little disappointed with the fact that he was in the magical dampening bubble, but he knew magical core levels were something he should take seriously. He had to wait for a while longer to do the charm to detect the year and date. He needed to know how old he was so that he would know whether he had met Lily at the park by now or not. Then, he realized that it would be difficult to meet Lily from the Prince estate. He desperately wanted to see Lily, but does she even exist in this universe? Severus was still not sure if he came back to his past, or if he was in an entirely different world. He needed to check the history books and other facts as soon as he could get out of bed. He hoped Lily was still living happily with her parents at his old neighborhood because he did not think he could live another lifetime without Lily by his side.

Severus did not need to wait that long to have some of his answers. He noticed that someone had left what seemed to be the latest edition of the potion magazine by his bedside table. He wondered if the magazine was his grandfather's. It should be, since his mother had just arrived recently and had been cut off from the Wizarding world for so long. He had not met his grandparents yet, and this would actually be his first time to meet the living version of his grandparents. Even though he did meet them as a portrait, a portrait was just a mere echo of the living and did not entirely reflect the personality. He doubted Walburga Black was a mindless yelling hag like that horrible portrait at 12 Grimmauld Place when she was alive.

He knew his grandfather was an entrepreneur, having a potion business of some sort. Severus never had the chance to go through the entire itinerary of the Prince business and assets. There was a pressing matter at hand, like killing the Dark Lord and surviving, and the Prince fortune was not as appealing to him as it once was without having anyone to share it with.

The magazine was an April issue of 1969. It was the year he met Lily, but he wasn't sure about the exact date he met Lily, so Severus was not at all happy with this information. Quite bored out of his mind, he started to read the outdated magazine. Some of the theories were just laughable that he could not suppress his chuckle.

"I do not recall anything written in there that would entertain a child, but boring articles."

Severus was surprised with his grandfather's voice and looked at the man who looked a little younger than the portrait he had met.

"Hello sir, are you my grandfather?"

Severus tried his best to act like a nine-year-old boy.

"Well, hello Severus, and yes, I am your grandfather. My name is Maximus Prince, but you should just call me grandfather."

"Yes, sir. Did you come to get this magazine, sir? I am sorry to look through it without permission."

Severus closed the magazine quickly and handed it to his grandfather.

Maximus was surprised by the boy's manner. He did not think that Eileen could teach him any basic mannerism under the roof of that horrible muggle. He imagined the boy to be more intimidated and skittish in front of an authority figure. That was what he read about an abused child. Maximus had been reading a lot about abused children and how to handle them after he had learned the situation at Spinner's End.

However, the boy who looked a lot like his daughter looked much more confident than the mother and seemed to be hiding all his emotions within himself. If he wasn't a mere child, he would have sworn the boy was occluding his mind. But then, Occlumency was such an advanced magic, that only a handful of wizards and witches could master. Maximus was one of them. He was about to get the magazine from the boy, but he refrained from taking it.

"You seem to have been enjoying reading the magazine, so you should keep it for now. Would you care to tell me what was so funny in the magazine?"

Severus couldn't answer honestly that he found some of the outdated theories laughable, like Gummyweeds being the cure for nerve damage. So he tried to remember what would have been funny for him when he was young.

"Some of the names of the magical plants are funny, like the Buttmunch."

Severus saw the color changing elixir in the content of this issue, so Buttmunch would be used there.

Maximus smiled at his grandson's statement. He was glad that Severus didn't have any problem reading the small prints.

"Do you like reading? I can bring some books from the library if you want. Actually, if you are up to it, you can come with me to the library. I will let Mindy bring some blankets so you can rest on the sofa if you get tired."

Severus knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep, so he obliged, and got up from the bed.

What he did not anticipate was how weak his body had become. He could not hold his weight and staggered and fell face down. Severus was so embarrassed by what happened, that his face turned red. He tried to push himself upright when he noticed his grandfather crouching by his side. Surprisingly, his grandfather lifted him up and carried him in the arms like a small child.

"Are you hurt Severus? I am sorry, I didn't realize you to be this weak. Let me carry you to the library."

Severus had never been carried in the arm as long as he could remember. Of course, his mother should have held him when he was a baby, but by the time he was aware, his parents never held him this way. Severus could not stop blushing and squirmed not knowing how to hold onto his grandfather in this position. Maximus noticed the odd behavior of his grandson and also saw his grandson's face still red, which made him concerned.

"What is wrong? Did you hurt your face?"

Maximus worriedly asked looking at the small face of his grandson. Severus could see the deep concern in the eyes of his grandfather, which was too close for his liking so he tried to reason his way out.

"No, sir. I just think you should levitate me than hold me like this. My weight is not good for your back, sir."

Severus tried to shift out of the arm.

"I am not that old yet, Severus."

Maximus chuckled and held his grandson closer to his chest. The elder Prince noticed that the boy was feeling awkward in this position and wondered when the boy was held like this the last time. Maximus also noticed how light his grandson weighed, and remembered healer Hollande say that he was a little malnourished for a six-year-old. Wait a moment, Eileen never told them how old her son was, had she? Healer Hollande assumed his age to be around six-year-old through his current growth, but maybe his grandson was older than that. He certainly acted and spoke much older than any six-year-old he had ever met. Maximus then remembered noticing Eileen being thinner than before and did not eat much during meals as if she was used to eating little food.

"Severus, how old are you? I do not recall Eileen mentioning your age."

Maximus asked his grandson.

"I was born in 1960 January, sir."

Severus answered quietly. His body was a nine-year-old, however, his mind was thirty-eight, but he could never say that to his grandfather.

"You are nine years old then."

Maximus was correct in his assumption that Severus was older than six. However, if he was truly nine, then he was far too small for his age. He had to ask healer Hollande for a good nutrition remedy so that Severus could catch up to his actual height. The head of the Prince family was fuming inside with new hatred towards Tobias. A lot of damage had been done to this little boy, and he promised himself to make his grandson as happy as he could make him. For this though, Maximus needed to know what the boy enjoyed most. Most children seem to love Quidditch but he doubted the boy had ever seen one in his short life.

Maximus had actually gone to Spinner's End once to retrieve his daughter's possessions after Tobias was arrested. However, other than the little jewelry Eileen had hidden, there was nothing in that dingy house that could be of any value. He did bring Eileen's old Hogwarts book of her request, but he will be buying a new set for his grandson. He remembered the boy's room to be so bear with nothing but a desk and few old books. This boy probably was never given any toys to play with and was used to having so little in his life. Maximus needed to try and find out what usual nine-year-old boys loved, and introduce them to his grandson. A broomstick might be a good idea, but he has to also talk to Eileen about this.

Maximus was worried about Eileen. He noticed that Eileen had become withdrawn, and timid, never speaking without being asked. Tobias' abuse had a significant effect on the once shy, naïve and optimistic daughter. She rarely smiled, and after that long talk they had, she usually spent her day in her room or was in Severus' room doing nothing. He had been encouraging her to read, or make potions, but she did not seem up for it. Now that Severus was awake, he hoped his daughter will find herself again. Healer Madison had suggested for Eileen to attend therapy or group meetings they had set for abused witches. Valeria and himself had talked about how to handle their daughter and grandson and had made a decision that Valeria will try and concentrate on Eileen while Maximus would take care of Severus. So here he was, carrying his grandson to the Prince Library.

When the two Princes entered the Library, Severus' eyes grew wide by the vast amount of books that adorned all sides of the wall.

"Thank you for bringing me here, grandfather."

Severus sighed in relief as soon as he was put down on the large sofa and was out of his grandfather's arm. Severus was fascinated by the old looking books and was excited to look through all of them. He didn't recall coming to this room and thought himself foolish for not utilizing this vast collection. Severus never explored the mansion, but only looked through the first floor. When he found his grandparents' portrait and talked to them, he was upset and tired that he went straight home and never came back to the empty manor.

The Library was on the second floor of the Prince Mansion, located in one of the largest room. If he was not mistaken, right under the Library should be the Prince ballroom which could accommodate over a hundred guests, and to his delight was bigger than the Malfoy's ballroom.

"What kind of books are you interested in, Severus? As you can see, our Library has a vast collection, which the Princes had collected throughout the centuries. I have also added books that have interested me, and you would be adding to them as well when you inherit this estate."

Severus was surprised to hear his grandfather acknowledging him as the heir but was happy to be included as a Prince. He then realized that in this new timeline, everybody in Hogwarts will know him as Severus Prince, the heir of Prince, and not Severus Snape, a nobody who had questionable parentage.

"Are there any history books sir? Something about the history of the Wizarding World of this century."

It was the best time to look through the history books and compare them with his past.

Maximus was delighted with Severus' interest. He went to the history section to fetch the general history book. He handed the book over to his grandson and went to find himself a book to read.

They were both reading when Eileen came bursting into the room.

"Father, he is gone! What should I do!?"

Eileen was in a brink of crying but halted when she saw his son looking up from the sofa.

"Severus! You should not be up and about like this! I thought you were sleeping all this time!"

Eileen came rushing in towards her son and suddenly hugged him, which made Severus flinch. Severus did not flinch like this in years. He was able to overcome this reflex by his third year in Hogwarts, but it seemed he needed yet to learn how to control this young body. The flinching did not go unnoticed by Maximus. Maximus remembered that healer Hollande warned him to always tell the boy what his intentions were before touching him in any way, including patting on the shoulder.

"Sorry Eileen, I was the one who brought him here. I thought it would be better for Severus to come out from his room to the library rather than cramped in his room."

Maximus spoke first before Severus would say anything.

"Oh, I guess that is alright then."

She hugged him again and kissed the top of his hair.

"You tell us if you want to go to bed, alright?"

Severus nodded and smiled faintly.

"I will do that mother."

Severus continued his reading, but Eileen did not want to leave her son's side so she picked up a book and sat next to her son. Severus was happy to have the attention from his mother and his grandfather.

The history book Maximus had picked was actually a book Severus had read before. The contents were exactly the same, which confirmed that he was in the past, but he wanted to make sure Lily was here as well. He needed to know that he had been somehow given a second chance in life. Severus was not sure why this had happened to him but tried not to dwell in something he may never get an answer to, so he should just accept this as a gift from the deities above.


	5. Chapter 5 Green Eyes

A week later, Severus was sitting on the side of his bed, facing healer Hollande. He had already gained his strength and had been exploring the Prince manor, inside and out. He had been making a list of potion ingredients he could get from the garden without alerting any of the adults, and was contemplating on how to approach his grandfather to have his own private potion lab.

"I think your magical core has recovered, so I will remove the magic dampening charm."

Healer Hollande smiled, pleased with the fast recovery of the boy. He heard from Maximus the actual age of the boy, and was very concerned of his physical growth. On the other hand, the boy's magic was developing quickly than an average nine years old, probably trying to replace the physical weakness. He had seen this happen to some extent in other abused magical child, so he was happy to learn the cause of the quick recovery in Severus' magical core. Hollande gave the recipe for the strongest nutrition potion and reassured Maximus that Severus can gain back his height before the boy reaches his teens.

Severus was elated with this news, and was already planning to go and meet Lily as soon as a chance presented itself. He had never been this bored in his life. He had wanted to read some of the advanced texts in the library, but was often met with questions from his mother and grandfather on what he was reading, both eager to learn his interest. So he took upon himself to explore the estate like a child he was suppose to be. What he really wanted to do was to make his own improved version of the nutrition potion, which would take a shorter time for him to recover, and would also taste much pleasant than what he was forced to take. He had sneaked into his grandfather's potion lab a few times, but so far he had not been able to do much but to tweak his grandfather's experiments for fun feigning them as an accident.

Maximus, on the other hand was having a hard time figuring out his grandson. He noticed his grandson going into his lab on several occasion and had ushered him out. He knew the boy had been looking at his experiments, but what baffled him was the fact that whenever his grandson 'accidentally' added an ingredient, it always improved his experiments. Maximus had a suspicion that the boy knew what he was doing, but how can that be possible when even Eileen did not understand them? He also noticed some inconsistency in his grandson, where he usually spoke like a child, but sometimes spew vocabularies that was certainly too high of a level, even for Hogwarts student. Maximus knew he had to tread carefully when asserting the ability of his grandson because deep down he could feel his grandson withholding, and acting ignorant even though he understood some of the things the adults talked about. He thought of waiting another month or two before breaching the subject of tutors to Eileen and Severus.

It was three days later when Severus was finally able to apparate out of the manor. When he reached the park, he felt dizziness and rested by one of the trees. Maybe it was not a smart idea to apparate this distance wandlessly. He then heard a sound from the nearby bushes and looked up hoping no one else was around to witness his apparition. That was when he saw the bright green eyes staring onto him.

"Are you a ghost?"

The familiar figure of his beloved asked in a shaky voice.

Severus smiled and answered in a reassuring voice.

"No, I am not. Why do you think of me as a ghost?"

Lily slowly came closer.

"Because you appeared from nowhere, and you look really pale. And, you are the boy from the house at Spinner's End, aren't you? I heard that something really bad happened there, and I saw the police come to your house. I was trying to look for you after you called me a witch, you know."

Severus face lit up by her words. So they had already met once.

"You are correct. Something bad did happen at our house, but we are all right now. My mother and I live with my grandparents so we no longer live at Spinner's End."

Severus sat down and beckoned Lily to come over.

"I wanted to see you again too because you were the first magical child I have ever met other than myself. My name is Severus, by the way."

Severus smiled at Lily, which eased Lily to come forth and sit beside him.

"I am Lily, Severus. Your name is so long, can I just call you Sev?"

Severus brightened by the use of his nickname, nodded and smiled. Lily continued on her question.

"What do you mean by magical? And what did you mean when you said I am a witch?" Lily asked.

"I saw you conjure a flower at the park, and you also levitated yourself up. What you did was magic. You saw me come here out of nowhere, and that was magic too."

Severus explained slowly, trying to remember what kind of words he used the first time around. He explained the existence of a magical community, and told he was half magical and half muggle, adding the definition of the word muggle. He also talked briefly about Hogwarts, and that they will get a letter when they become eleven. Lily was fascinated by his tales, hanging on to every word Severus was saying, eager to understand her odd power.

"Would you like my grandfather to explain to your parents about magic? Maybe you could come to visit our place, and learn a little magic before we go to Hogwarts."

Severus wanted to be best friends with Lily again, just like they were the first time around.

"Really?"

Lily wanted to know more about the magical world, and she wanted to be friends with this boy who seems to have the same power as she had. However, she did notice his tired face.

"Would you like to come to our house and rest a little bit? You still look pale."

Lily was worried about her new friend and pulled him up, holding his hand.

"Come, I will introduce you to my mom. She should be home by now."

Severus did feel exhausted, so he followed Lily to her house.

"I think I accidentally used too much magic to come here."

Severus explained to Lily that magic was not limitless and that they should be taught to control the power, and that was why they had to go to Hogwarts.

"Will eating sweets help with your magic? Sugar is energy, right?"

Lily asked Severus.

"Actually, it does. I read that chocolate is good to eat when you feel weak."

"Ok, let me see what we have. Mom! Are you home!?"

Lily pulled Severus into the house and dragged him to the kitchen.

"Lily, what is this yelling, and who do we have here?"

"Hello, ma'am. My name is Severus Prince. I just became friends with Lily."

Severus put his hand out, and Rose was impressed by the well-mannered boy. He was a little shorter than Lily but seemed mature than his looks. His clothes looked of fine tailoring which explained the boy's good manner. This boy was probably from an upper-class household but that did not make much sense, since this area was for the middle to lower class residences. Maybe he was visiting one of his distant relatives in the area.

"Is there any chocolate we can eat?"

Lily asked her mother.

"I can give you some brownies if you would like. But don't eat too much or else you won't be able to eat dinner, ok?"

"Thanks, mom!"

Lily went to the cupboard to gather some plates.

"Can I help you with something?"

Severus asked Lily.

"No, you look too pale and tired as you are. Just go to the table and sit, I will be there right away."

Upon hearing her daughter's words, Rose looked again at Severus and noticed his pale face.

"Let me get the brownies for you two. Lily, why don't you accompany Severus to the dining table and sit with him."

Rose wondered why the boy looked so tired.

"Ok. Thanks, mom."

Lily grabbed Severus' hand again and led him to the dining table. He tried to pull a chair for Lily, but Lily chuckled.

"You are like a gentleman, Sev. You don't have to do that for me, I am only a nine-year-old girl."

"But you are a lady, Lily, and men should treat all ladies well no matter the age." Severus said pulling the chair. Lily blushed and was quite flattered by his gesture so she accepted the chair, and let him push the chair towards her as she sat. Rose was amused by her young daughter and her new friend.

"Here you go, you two can go ahead and eat. The tea will be ready shortly."

Rose put a plate with a brownie each for both children and went to the kitchen for the tea.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Severus started eating and felt a little better when he finished his brownies.

"You can have mine too. You already look a little better."

Lily was pleased to see her new friend recovering, and smiled at him.

"Severus can have another one from here."

Rose came in again with a plate full of brownies so Lily could enjoy hers as well.

When Rose finished giving each a cup of tea, she poured herself a cup as well and sat opposite to the children.

"So, what happened? How did you two meet?"

Rose was curious as to why Lily picked up a stranger as her new friend, especially a boy. Lily was a little shy and her odd power had made her shy away even more from her classmates. Rose was actually worried about Lily's power because the Evans had no idea how their daughter was doing the things she did. Harold, Lily's father, was also concerned about Lily's power, afraid that someone might notice and put her in an institute to experiment on their little girl.

"I used to live at Spinner's End and had seen Lily do magic at the park. I was happy to see someone like me, so I came here to meet her again."

Rose lost her words, shocked for several reasons. She heard about the news of child abuse and arrest of Tobias Snape. They actually thought the boy and the mother were killed. Most importantly, the fact that this boy just said he was like her Lily was spinning in her head. But only one word came out from Rose.

"Magic…?"

"Yes, ma'am. Lily can do magic just like me and my mother and my mother's parents." He levitated one of the brownies to his plate, wandless and wordlessly.

Rose was astonished to see someone having a power like her Lily, and could not hide her shock.

"Our world is hidden from nonmagical people, but we have our own world out there where Lily will be a part of. I can ask my grandfather to come here. He can tell you more about the magical world."

Rose was thrilled to hear this. They may get a chance, at last, to understand Lily's power, especially from an adult who seemed to also have a child with the same power as Lily.

"Do you still live close by then? Maybe I can call him and set up a meeting including my husband."

Severus shook his head.

"I am afraid we don't live in this neighborhood anymore, and we also do not own any telephone. I can call him here right now, if that's ok with you. I will need him to bring me back home anyway, so it should not be a problem."

Severus smiled, happy with how smooth things were going. He hoped Lily can come to visit him on the weekends.

Rose, on the other hand, was puzzled by Severus' word. How can he call his grandfather when they didn't own any phone?

"I will have to conjure my house elf, but please don't be afraid of her. She may look odd, but she is a very nice creature."

Severus warned the both of them before calling one of the Prince house elves.

"Tippy"

As soon as Severus altered the word, Tippy appeared with a crack, her eyes wide in surprise by the call by her young master. Both of the Evans yelped in surprise by the small and weird creature that suddenly appeared in their dining room.

"Master Severus! You is here! Everyone is looking for you!"

Severus thought he had a little more time before anyone found out he was gone, but apparently not.

"Can you tell grandfather that I ended up accidentally at the old neighborhood, and tell him I was asking if he could come here for me?"

"Yes, Tippy will tell master, sir! right away sir!"

Tippy vanished with a crack, and the room was silent with an awkward pause. Rose broke the silence with her question.

"What was that? Did you say that it is some kind of an elf?"

She couldn't believe what she just saw. Rose was getting used to things moving by itself whenever Lily was around, but that was about all she had witnessed. She never thought weird creature existed in this world, let alone something that pops out of nowhere and vanishes, and most incredibly, it was speaking English.

"Yes. They are called house elves. They bond with a magical family, and look after the house for us."

Severus explained, knowing Lily also was interested in the creature.

Next thing they heard was a loud crack, but this time Tippy was not alone. Rose saw a very well dressed tall man in his fifties appear in her dining room. The man noticed the boy and quickly came close to the boy.

"Thank Merlin, you are alright. We were all worried sick when we noticed you were gone from the premise!"

His eyes were clearly with relief.

"Sorry grandfather. I don't know why I turned up in the old neighborhood. I was just wishing to see someone I met the other day."

Severus lied smoothly, though he did feel guilty to let his mother and grandparents worry like this. He genuinely thought he could just pop in and out of the neighborhood, but it seems that his magic was not strong enough to withstand long-distance apparition wandlessly. Severus internally thought to experiment on his magical ability once he was back home and alone.

Once relief spread through, Maximus noticed that he had ended up in a muggle dwelling, and quickly brought out his wand to obliviate the muggles who seemed to have been quietly staring at their exchange.

"Grandfather, it's ok. You don't have to worry, because Lily here is a witch like us." Severus quickly said to his grandfather before the old man could do anything to the Evans.

"A witch?"

Maximus was surprised, and then coughed lightly and straightened his stance.

"Forgive me to come to your home unannounced, ma'am. My name is Maximus Prince, and this is my grandson Severus Prince. I am very sorry to pop up into your home like this. It is considered extremely rude to apparate into a person's home, even in the magical world."

Maximus went closer to Rose and extended his hand for a shake. Rose blinked, then hurriedly stood up, taking his hand to shake, embarrassed by her own manners.

"Oh, I am sorry too, to not introduce ourselves. I am Rose Evans and this is my daughter Lily. Your grandson has told me that my daughter is a witch, and have nicely suggested for us to have a talk sometime about your world."

Rose tried to speak as politely as she could, a little intimidated by the man who clearly came from the upper class.

"Grandfather, Lily is a muggle born witch, and I think it will be best if you could tell them about our world."

Severus looked up at his grandfather with hopeful eyes. Maximus was surprised by this turn of event, but he was secretly elated to see Severus being friends with someone his own age. He was worried Severus to be a loner, since many abused children often closed themselves off from others. He was contemplating on introducing him to children from other families, but he did not know which family to trust. Maybe a muggle-born with no ties to the magical world was perfect for his grandson. He would at least have a friend at Hogwarts, and she would also have someone as well.

"Of course, I would be happy to explain about the magical world. My work is flexible so you may visit our home with your daughter at any time of your convenience." Maximus tapped his wand on his handkerchief and turned it to a parchment.

"You can write down the day you would like us to meet on this parchment, and it will come back to me as soon as you say "Prince manor." I will then come by at your house to pick you all up. Would that be acceptable, Mrs. Evans?"

Rose was fascinated by the parchment Maximus had handed to her.

"Yes, that would be lovely. I will talk to my husband when he comes home from work, so we can decide on the schedule. Thank you very much for offering your time, Mr. Prince."

Rose was happy, and could not wait for her husband to come back.

"There is nothing to thank at all. I am actually pleased to find a friend for Severus. I hope Lily can come by to our house from now on. Maybe we could connect our floo." Maximus smiled at Rose and Lily.

"What's a floo?"

Lily asked not understanding what the older man was talking about.

"Magical houses are connected with floo network which we access through the fireplace. We can show you next time you come to our house. I think we should head home soon before Valeria and Eileen would become sick with worry."

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans, for the tea and brownie, it was very delicious. Thank you, Lily, for bringing me here, and let's meet again soon."

Severus smiled at the both of them and went and took his grandfather's hand.

"We will be waiting to hear from you soon, Mrs. Evans."

Maximus bowed, and brought his wand out, then apparated the two of them directly to Prince Manor. Both Evans was surprised for the two of them to vanish so quickly. Lily was a little sad for her new friend to go home so quickly, but she was already looking forward to visit his house. Rose was still looking at the space the two had vanished, still not quite sure what she had seen. She couldn't wait for her husband to come home so she could tell her all the exciting news. She hoped her husband will believe her tale.


	6. Chapter 6 The Evanses

Valeria was pacing in the library waiting for her husband to arrive with their grandson. She was worried sick when they noticed that the boy was gone from the premise. They first thought the boy was outside the garden again, picking at the plants he could find. Yes, they did notice their grandson's interest in plants, although for some weird reason he tried to hide this from them. Eileen, on the other hand, looked calm. At first, she was worried like her mother, but then remembered that Severus was better now, and could do his magic so she calmed down. When Tippy arrived with the message from her son, she just knew nothing bad could happen to him. Especially now that Tobias was out of the picture.

"Calm down, mother. I am sure he is fine. Severus is a clever and independent boy. You saw him call Tippy when he was in trouble. He knows what to do, and now that father went to pick him up, they should be fine."

"But it's taking them too long, don't you think they would have been here by now if Maximus just went to pick him up?"

"I am sure they have a good reason for the delay."

Eileen reassured her mother.

Valeria was a little surprised by her calm demeanor. She did not know why Eileen could treat a nine-year-old boy as if he was already independent. She most certainly never treated Eileen this way when her daughter was nine. Valeria was a little worried about Eileen's parental skills. Maybe the abuse was the reason why her daughter often left her son alone, isolating herself into her own room. She didn't think she saw the two of them talk much to each other, although she could tell that they both cared deeply of one another. After Severus recovered from his injuries, Valeria noticed that the boy seemed to take care of his mother more than Eileen taking care of her son. And Valeria was disturbed by this. Maybe she should push Eileen into therapy, and not wait until Eileen was ready. Frankly, she didn't think her baby would recover from the abuse without help. Valeria knew that her husband had been teaching himself how to deal with an abused child, but to their delighted surprise, Severus was not a difficult child to handle at all. The child was certainly clever, as her daughter described, and well mannered than they could have ever hoped. It seems that Valeria would be having a much more difficult time with Eileen, than Maximus with Severus, since her daughter had been inconsistent with her mood and was very difficult to predict. Valeria has yet to bring her daughter out for shopping, which Eileen had been evading for days.

There was a distinct crack of apparition, and the two missing members of the Prince appeared in the Library. Valeria rushed to their side.

"Thank Merlin, you are alright. What happened out there? What took you so long?" She bombarded them with questions, however, noticed both of them in a lightened mood. Before Maximus could reply, Valeria continued with the most curious question she had.

"Why do you both look happy?"

Severus' face brightened remembering the encounter with his beloved Lily whom he had not seen for over two decades, and could not stop smiling.

"I made a friend close to my age, grandmother. She is a muggle-born witch, and she will come to visit us with her parents"

Valeria was surprised by this news and turned to her husband for confirmation. Maximus smiled and nodded.

"It is true, I could feel her magic. I think it will do well for both of the children if they become friends. Her name is Lily Evans, and I met her mother Rose. I have offered my assistance in providing necessary information about the magical world. They seem to be a nice muggle family. We should welcome them properly when they visit our manor."

Valeria was happy to have people come over. They had not welcomed any guests in years. Maximus did not like most of the narrow-minded pureblood families and had slowly cut off their ties to that society. The adults had a talk about going back to those parties for Severus' sake, but Eileen was not keen on the idea, and Maximus did not trust most of them. It seems that they may not have to force themselves into that snobbish circle for now.

Eileen had mixed feelings about meeting other people, especially a neighbor from Spinner's End. But then, she never saw her son this happy in her whole life. She should not stop them from coming, or else she would put her son in misery again. Maybe she could feign a headache if she couldn't come up with the courage to face the strangers.

That night, Maximus received the parchment from the Evans, indicating that they will be happy to visit this weekend. Maximus had sent back an acknowledgment letter through Tippy. Both families were waiting eagerly for the weekend to arrive.

"Why do I have to go too?" Petunia whined.

"I don't want to meet more people who can do freakish thing like Lily! That creature that came to send the letters was horrid! I want to go to Jane's instead."

It was her fifth time to complain and Rose was up to her limits.

"Fine! You can go to your friend's house Petunia."

Rose sighed.

She did not want any dreadful word coming out from her elder daughter and ruin a potential relationship with the Princes. She might as well leave Petunia with her friend rather than be embarrassed by her daughter's outburst.

"Yes!"

Petunia was happy that she didn't have to go with her family since she thought it boring and horrible. She wouldn't want to go to any freakish house even if she was invited.

Lily, on the other hand, didn't care at all whether her sister was coming or not. She just wanted to meet Sev again. She knew that they will have fun together. Petunia's attitude and name calling did not affect Lily this time because she was too happy to care.

Severus had not felt this much happiness in a very long time. Lily was the only person who could make him this happy, and he promised himself to make her as happy as he was this time around. He didn't want to think about her future with Potter, but he will try his best to gain Lily's affection. If she still chooses Potter in the end, he would at least know that he had tried his very best, and was prepared to let her go. After all, her happiness and long life were what mattered to him the most. It was the very first time he slept with no worries but a smile on his face.

The weekend came quickly, and the Evans was waiting at their living room.

"Are you sure we just wait here for them to come? Shouldn't we drive to a station or something?"

Harold asked his wife worriedly. He was very pleased to hear about the Princes from Rose, though he had a hard time believing her about people vanishing into thin air. However, the little visit by the house elf had confirmed Rose' story, and he was excited as well about the visit to a wizard's house.

"Yes, it's on the short reply here, that we wait at our house for Mr. Prince."

That was when they heard a knock on the door. Harold quickly went to get the door and was met by a tall, nicely dressed men in his fifties.

"Good Morning, sir. You should be Mr. Evans. I am Maximus Prince, nice to meet you." the elder man extended his hand. Harold smiled and shook Maximus' hand.

"Thank you for coming all the way to our house to fetch us. Have you brought a ride with you? Should we all go out then?"

"Actually, the device I brought may be better used within your house if you could invite me in, then we can be there promptly."

Maximus had brought a portkey which could bring multiple people at once to the gate of their estate. Only Prince blood or its spouse could apparate through the powerful ward directly into the manor, and their ward also warded all portkeys.

"Of course, please come in."

Harold was curious as to what device he had brought and hoped it was something magical. The Prince head of house greeted the rest of the Evans, excluding Petunia who had already left to her friend's house. Maximus brought out a rolled out parchment from his inner pocket and unrolled the paper.

"If you could all hold onto this parchment, please. This will only take a second, and please try to hold on to the paper. You will feel a little pull, but don't fight it please."

All the Evans did not know what to expect and anxiously held the parchment.

"Felix Felicis"

As soon as Maximus spoke out the word, they all felt the pull, and the world around them blurred. They all felt as if the were squeezed through something, and then everything suddenly stopped. All three were disoriented and also felt their stomach churn from the short trip.

"Here, smell this fume, it should all make you feel better."

Maximus brought out a potion which helps motion sickness through inhaling its fume.

He gave it to Lily first, then Rose and Harold.

"Lily you are here!" Severus came running towards the gate, not able to just sit and wait. Lily heard the familiar voice and looked beyond the gate. She saw a small figure running towards them, and she waved her hand.

"Hi, Sev! Thanks for having us."

She smiled, so happy to see her new friend at last. She was also delighted with the fact that he also seemed very happy to meet her.

"Hello Mrs. Evans, and nice to meet you, Mr. Evans."

Severus politely said through his panting breath.

"Hello Severus, I have heard about you a lot from Lily. Thank you for asking your grandfather for this opportunity."

Harold extended his hand and shook the small hand. When they were outside the gate, they could only see trees and the narrow dirt road Severus had come from, however, when they passed the gate, all the trees suddenly cleared, and they could see a well taken cared English garden with roses and different kind of flowers adorning the whole garden. Then the vast Manor came into view, and three of the Evans just dropped their jaw.

"Oh, my God. it's like a Castle!"

Lily squealed with delight.

"I can't believe you actually live here!"

Severus was happy with Lily's excitement. He hoped she would love what they were planning for the day.

"Please, come in. I would like to introduce the rest of our family."

Maximus guided them in the house through the large main entrance. The three Evans kept their eyes wide with surprise with all the delicate furniture and the flamboyant architecture of the Prince Manor. They have only seen a house like this in a movie, and could not believe that the family who had lived in Spinner's End would be related to anyone owning this sort of house. When they reached the living room, they saw a refined old lady waiting.

"This is my wife, Valeria. Valeria, this is Mr. Evans, Mrs. Evans, and their daughter Lily"

Maximus introduced each other and looked around trying to find someone else.

"I am sorry, our daughter, Eileen was under the weather and have gone to rest in her room."

"Oh, I am sorry to intrude when your daughter is unwell."

Harold said worriedly. Severus knew his mother was just not up to meeting strangers. She had been like this the last time around. Tobias' abuse has made her scared of any strangers. He remembered that this trait made her even more vulnerable and ensured Tobias' hold over her. If it was not for him to come to the Prince estate, they would still be stuck with Tobias abuse. Eileen died the first time by Tobias knocking her over the stairs, and breaking her neck. Fortunately for Tobias, Eileen did not have a noticeable bruise or injury to indicate any abuse, so he was able to explain Eileen's death as a mere accident, tripping over the stairs. Severus remembered how enraged he was, and the next few years were the worst years of his life. By that time, his friendship with Lily was dissolved, and he had no one to turn to. This made Severus an easy target for Malfoy to sway him toward the dark path by giving him a place to stay over the holidays and acknowledging his talent.

"Please, do not mind our daughter. Why don't we sit and discuss what you would like to learn about our world?"

Maximus told them to make themselves comfortable in the living room and called Mindy to bring them tea and biscuits.

The Evans actually made a list of things they wanted to know, most importantly about magic. They also wanted to know about the educational system, and what Lily would most likely face in the magical community. Maximus answered each of their questions politely, and carefully. Lily was at first eager to listen to all the explanations, but when the subject phased to politics and government, she couldn't understand what they were saying and started to get bored. Severus was equally bored with the subject, already knowing everything he had to know, and noticed Lily starting to doze off.

"Lily, why don't we go outside? I can show you around the garden and show you some magical plants"

The adults halted their conversation, noticing for the first time that their children were getting bored with all the talk. Lily was startled by being spoken to but was glad of Severus' offer.

"I would like that very much. Can I go, mom, dad?"

"Of course, go ahead with Severus, and have some fun."

Harold ushered the children out of the room. Severus held Lily's hand and walked towards the back garden of their Manor.

"I like to walk around the garden and find plants for potions. Did you know that potions are a lot more powerful than muggle medicine? Potions can do so many things, from curing sickness to changing our forms, and even giving us luck."

He talked animatedly about potions as he did the last time around. He knew Lily would be fascinated by this topic, and thought of introducing her to the intermediate potion before starting Hogwarts. He knew she could be one of the best brewers like himself and wanted to teach her as much as he could. Lily's interest did peek.

"Potions is like those liquid things witches make, right? Can we maybe make one?"

Lily asked.

"I don't think my grandfather will let us make potions alone because if we make mistakes the cauldron might explode"

Lily's eyes widened with this.

"It explodes!? Really!? Is it too dangerous for us then? I really wanted to try and make something."

Severus smiled, delighted that Lily was the same, sharing his interest in potions.

"I think we just need adult supervision. I will ask my grandfather if we can create something easy, like a pepper up potion, for a headache or cold. A smoke comes out from our ears and mouth when we drink it, but it cures the sickness right away."

"That seems really neat. I hope we can make it next time."

Lily smiled hoping that she could come around again. The two children walked around the garden while Severus pointing out some magical plants and explaining its property and the use in potions.

"Sev, you know so much! How did you learn this much?! Weren't you living in Spinner's End for most of your life? "

"I read a lot of my mom's book. I can lend you some, so you can read them at home."

"That would be great! I love to read!"

Lily smiled, happy that Severus also seemed to like reading. Most of the boys in her elementary school just liked to go out and play, hating to read or learn, so she was happy that Sev was different from the usual boys her age. Lily had a lot of fun visiting the greenhouse, looking at some of the magical plants, even the ones that moved and tried to attack Lily when she neared them. When they felt a little tired walking about the garden, Severus brought Lily to his room and showed her some moving photographs and introduced her to the wizard's chess. He also brought out the book on magical creatures and gave the book to Lily as a gift. Lily hugged him tightly, to show her appreciation, and Severus blushed by Lily's affection.

The adults had a very productive conversation, especially the Evanses who were able to learn a lot about the magical world. Maximus suggested to connect their floo, so Lily may visit or talk to Sev via the floo network whenever they pleased. He also offered Lily to join a tutor session every weekend so the children can learn basic wizard culture and some magic which most magical children may already learn before starting Hogwarts. The Evanses was more than willing to accommodate the floo network to their dwelling and had asked Maximus where they could buy some magical things for Lily's education. Valeria suggested a shopping trip next weekend, and they all agreed. Maximus told the Evans that he will use his contacts to install the floo network into their house sometime next week and show them how to use it.

Maximus got a good feeling from the Evans and was happy to meet such good people, especially with a daughter who was being fast friends with his grandson. Valeria was also grateful for the little girl who seemed to make her grandson very happy. She noticed that the girl seemed very bright as well, and she hoped the two children will be a great match one day. Overall, the day ended very well for both families. Severus was grateful that his family became well acquainted with the Evans this time around, and not just him and Lily being friends like the first time around.

The next weekend, the Evanses and the Princes met again to go on a shopping trip to Diagon Alley, and Petunia and Eileen had again decided not to join the family trip. Although both families were missing a member each, they were still having a great time. Evanses especially was thrilled with the abundance of magic in the area. Maximus, to Severus dismay, bought Severus and Lily the children's potion kit, which consisted of a smaller cauldron and steerers with a safety guard to prevent them from using any volatile ingredients. Severus eyed the golden cauldron, and golden steerers lustfully which he knew his grandfather already owned. He never could afford this very expensive cauldron and was not able to try some of the experiments on his list, like the true cure for werewolves. Severus promised himself to get them when he became an adult this time around, and create the potion on the list one day. Maximus thought Severus would be happy to have his own cauldron, but noticed the boy just gave a curt nod and a dutiful thank you compared to Lily's appreciative gaze and kept his dark eyes on the gold cauldron on the top shelf. He chuckled to himself; his grandson already seemed to know the best cauldron in the shop. The Princes ended up paying for most of the magical things, telling the Evans that this would be a small gift of appreciation to the little girl who had been making his grandson happy. Harold felt bad to take advantage of the rich and generous Princes and treated them to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants in London. Maximus and Valeria loved the muggle food, and the shopping trip ended with both families flooing back from the Leaky Cauldron.

After the successful shopping trip, both families started on a pattern where Lily would come by every Saturday for a short tutoring session with Severus at Prince Estate, and stay for the night and have a play day on Sunday and go back home at night. Sometimes Rose prepared a Sunday dinner and invited the Princes for her home cooked meal, and sometimes the Princes invited the Evanses to have dinner at the Prince's estate before picking Lily up from their manor.


	7. Chapter 7 Revelation

Three months had passed with the new routine and Harold and Rose was becoming a very good friend of Maximus and Valeria. Harold treated Maximus with the utmost respect, often asking of his opinion on Magical government and Lily's future prospects. Maximus, on the other hand, had learned Harold to be well educated in Muggle business market, and often consulted in muggle investment to gain more footings on the Muggle world. Rose and Valeria exchanged home meal recipes and often discussed gardening methods since both were interested in plants and flowers. Lily and Severus became inseparable, having a nightly call via floo on the weekdays. It was clear that Severus adored and respected Lily, and Lily equally respected Severus and loved his often sarcastic point of view. However, even after months passed by, Eileen never came out of her room when the Evanses were at Prince Manor. Petunia, on the other hand, were sometimes forced to sit at the dinner table with the Princes when they visited their house, but she never went to Prince Manor, and always kept to herself, ignoring everything magical like a plague. Petunia always wore a scorn face whenever she saw her little sister using the floo to talk with Severus. The first time she saw a head appear from the floo, Petunia screamed and run up the stairs. Lily and Severus laughed at her reaction, and Rose and Harold also couldn't hide a smile which made Petunia extremely angry. Petunia hated the Princes and often spoke of her opinion during the first month which was always met with anger from her parents. Once, when she nearly told off Valeria a freak, Rose got very angry and grounded her for the entire week with no phone privilege and no friends. Since then, Petunia was subdued understanding that her parents were not going to understand her fear of freaks, so she never spoke of her true opinion in front of her family.

Severus was getting comfortable with his new life, learning to snatch some of the advanced texts from the library, though he still hated drinking the nutrition potion he was given every day. Eileen was also getting comfortable with her life back in Prince Manor, even though she did hide away whenever guests were present. Valeria was happy when Eileen told her that she wanted to go shopping for some new clothes, and was able to finally bring her daughter to Diagon Alley, though the stay was shorter than her liking.

Severus was sometimes allowed to enter the lab when the older Prince was experimenting, and use his children's cauldron to make some potions. The potions he created was not challenging enough, and the nutrition potion he wanted to make could not be created since he was missing an ingredient which could be easily bought at any apothecary but was too suspicious to ask for.

That day, he was with his grandfather in the lab, trying to figure out what his grandfather was making by observing the ingredients. He noticed that the experiment today was a little volatile than usual. He didn't like the fact that his grandfather was using Eyes of Newt with grounded Venomous Tentacula leaf. Was Maximus trying to create some kind of a cure? The concoction vaguely looked like a wolfsbane potion but it was missing the wolfsbane itself, and unicorn hair and other main ingredients. Severus was not sure what the goal of his grandfather's experiment was and thought of asking so he could stir him in the right direction.

"Grandfather"

When Severus spoke, Maximus was startled and accidentally added more Eyes of Newt in the potion than necessary. This caused the potion to bubble violently, and Severus knew that the potion will explode any second which forced him to act on instinct, as he would have at any of his potions classes. Severus wordlessly put his strongest shield in front of Maximus, a shield charm of his own creation and pushed his grandfather on the floor. The potion exploded with a loud bang and Severus promptly vanished the whole potion before it started to melt everything it touched. He started to ascertain his grandfather and his own injury when he met with his grandfather's surprised gaze.

"Severus! How did you know it would explode!?"

Maximus gazed into his grandson's eyes trying to prod Severus' mind and was even more surprised by a barrier.

Severus berated himself for occluding with a shield. He should have let his grandfather in and show him just enough in his mind as he used to do to the Dark Lord. Everything he just did was instinct and wasn't sure if he would be able to explain them by mere accidental magic.

"Who.. who are you?"

Maximus whispered, thinking quickly what to do. He just knew that the boy in front of him could not be his nine-year-old grandson. The magic he just displayed was advanced even for an adult wizard. Did he let an intruder in? How did he come into the Prince manor through their impenetrable ward? If this is an intruder, where is his true grandson? Maximus' face got paler and paler by the implication. Maximus was too panicked to realize that his grandson was using Legilimency on him.

"Please, grandfather, stop this instance with your thoughts. I am not an intruder and I am truly your grandson."

"Did you just read my mind?"

Maximus could not believe what was happening.

Severus sighed. He knew he would not be able to keep on the charade for much longer in front of his grandfather. Maximus was a very sharp minded man and had already been watching him like a hawk. In fact, maybe this situation was a blessing of a sort.

"Sit down, grandfather. I might as well just come clean here."

Severus helped his grandfather to his feet and transfigured an empty bottle to a large sofa wordlessly and wandlessly. Maximus was too surprised to respond to the display of the boy's advanced magic and sat on the transfigured sofa with his mouth agape. Severus then conjured a stool in front of his grandfather and sat on the stool.

"You may not believe me grandfather, but I AM your Severus but my mind is from the future. I died in the future and woke up a few months ago in Spinner's End. What you are seeing is an adult mind in a nine-year-old body."

Maximus stared at his nine-year-old grandson not knowing what to say. Severus' words did explain a lot of his behavior, though he had never heard of anyone coming back in time unless using a time turner.

"Why did you come back in time?"

Maximus asked the obvious question.

"This was not my choice, grandfather. I died and when I woke up, I was here. I do not know why this happened, nor how this happened. I have been trying to find an explanation to my situation, but did not find anything in our library. I have just concluded that maybe somebody has given me a second chance to correct all the horrible mistakes I had made in my first life."

Maximus knew the answer to be genuine. He did not know what kind of horrible mistake his grandson had made, and was not sure if he should ask about those details.

"I will not indulge in the future that may not happen, but since I have come clean, I have one request."

Severus asked Maximus.

"What is your request?"

Maximus was still wrapping his mind around the fact that he was facing an adult version of his grandson.

"I would actually like to make my own potions from now on using a regular cauldron. I have been a potion master since I was twenty. I have invented a lot of potions you may be interested in."

Severus smirked towards his grandfather, knowing that this would pique Maximus' interest.

"You were a potion master by twenty!? That is an unbelievable achievement, Severus. You were or will be the youngest potion master in history! Well, that is unless there was someone who would beat that record in the future."

Maximus was impressed and delighted by his grandson's achievement.

"I was. And no, there was no one who was younger than I was as far as I know."

"I am sure I was very impressed with you in your life."

Maximus smiled, but then noticed his grandson become solemn.

"You did not know me in my other life, grandfather. I did meet your portrait and you did tell me that, though."

Severus gave a weak smile.

Maximus thought of what his grandson just said. There was a life where he never knew of the situation his daughter and grandson were in. Both of them had suffered through the life of abuse and poverty while Maximus and Valeria lived ignorant in this vast mansion. He did not want to believe this, but it seems Severus in front of him did go through a very difficult life. Maximus also understood the implication of his grandson's word.

"So it was not an accidental magic that led you to the mansion. You intentionally apparated both you and Eileen to Prince Manor that day."

"Yes, I did. When I spoke with your portrait, you told me all the regrets of your life. That was why I knew you would help mother if we came for help."

Severus did not elaborate on what he just gave away, and waited patiently for what his grandfather would ask. He had made up his mind to be truthful to Maximus, and give him all the answers to him.

Maximus was not sure what to say next. He did not think he should ask for more details of the other life where his daughter never came for help. Though, he did want to know about the achievements Severus had made but did not know where to start. So he ended up asking the most unlikely questions.

"On the first day we met, you were chuckling at the potion magazine. What had made you laugh? Now I know it was not because of the names of the ingredients."

Severus was surprised but smiled at his grandfather.

"Indeed, as I have just told you, I am from the future, so the information on the potion journal is outdated and some even laughable such as Gummyweeds being the cure for nerve damage."

Severus chuckled remembering the report he read.

"So you did know what you were doing with my experiments! All those accidents were intentional, wasn't it!?"

Maximus excited by the implication.

"Yes, I did them intentionally. I am actually glad we are having this conversation. I have been curious as to what kind of cure you have been experimenting until it exploded. It is a cure, is it not?"

Severus could not resist not knowing what his grandfather had been experimenting with during this past whole month.

"Why yes, I have been working on a cure that no one else has ever tried to invent. If you can guess it, I will show you all my notes."

Maximus smirked at Severus. He knew Severus was a very bright boy or man. Severus may have the advantage in having all the future information, but Maximus was confident that his own experience and knowledge to be one of the best in the whole wizarding world. He was eager to find out if Severus also had the flare and intuition necessary to be a great Potion Master. Severus just told him that Maximus was never aware of his existence. If Severus did indeed have invented a lot of potions, he couldn't understand why Maximus would not contact the young talented potion master. Moreover, with the similarity of features between the boy and Eileen, he had no doubt that he would have connected the dots eventually. Severus would have been under the spotlight within the potions community being the youngest potion master in history! Why did this boy slip under the radar from his Company? Severus would undoubtedly be one of the potential potion masters to recruit. Maximus needed to ascertain Severus' ability.

Severus was aware that Maximus was trying to measure his ability through his answer. Severus hesitated at first, knowing that the wolfsbane potion would not be invented for at least another decade, but went with his gut.

"Are you trying to find a cure to …. lycanthropy?"

Maximus eyes widened.

"Did you have the cure in your time?"

Maximus had to ask.

"Not quite a cure per se, but eases the symptoms. This potion will be developed after a decade, I believe."

Severus answered.

"In fact, I have been working on the idea of a true cure. However, my idea needed a gold cauldron, and I did not have one at my disposal at the time."

Severus then asked one of the questions he had for some time.

"In my time, I never saw your name listed in any of the potions invented. You seem to be working on a lot of experiments, which I believe to be on the right track. Are you by any chance using an alias?"

Maximus was shocked by the insightfulness of his grandson.

"You know what I have been experimenting by just looking at the potions? And to answer your question, I actually hand my experiments to my employee so they can have an additional income and add more name to themselves. I already make enough profit out of the sales of these new potions anyway, and I truly do not want any more fame and unwanted attention. Experimenting on potions is a hobby of mine, and I want to keep on doing this freely without any interference in my life."

Severus was moved by his grandfather's generosity. If he was in his shoes, he would be putting his name on everything he invented to acquire the fame he desperately wanted for his entire life. His respect for his grandfather increased ten folds and made him shameful for wanting the fame.

"Grandfather, that is the most selfless thing I have ever heard and I truly respect you for that and more. I think I have always wanted the fame and respect I never received in my entire life. I was never able to publish any of my findings because of the grave mistake I made. Maybe, this second life was given to me so that I can hand all my findings to you to use them in a positive manner this time around."

Severus could at last show all of his creation to someone who was genuinely interested with his ability, and most importantly, someone he could trust. His grandfather can help him make the right choice for him this time around.

"And, yes, I have some vague idea on what kind of experiments you are doing."

Then Severus recited every experiment Maximus did the last few months, guessing the potion correctly by stating the ingredients that his grandfather used in each. The elder Prince never thought his eyes could grow any larger than it was now. Maximus had never in his life met any potion master as knowledgeable as Severus was. Now he truly wanted to learn all the findings and experiments Severus had found in his life.

"I would truly love to see all of your works, Severus. Do you have any you can show me? Oh, but you wouldn't have any on your hand now that you are starting over, would you?"

Severus looked a little embarrassed and brought out a small notebook from his pocket.

"Actually, I have already started writing down some of my work. I may have left something out, and it would have been nice if I had all the previous notes from before, but here are some of the potions. The first and foremost is my formula for a nutrition potion. I came up with this when I was a student at Hogwarts. I hated drinking the remedy I have been drinking when I was young and wanted desperately to grow taller as soon as I could. This formula actually tastes a lot better and will work twice as better than the current version. Would you mind getting the ingredients listed below? I can make them right away as soon as I have them in hand."

Severus made a duplication of his notebook and gave it to his grandfather.

"The potions and spells in there were mostly developed during my years as a student, so you can use them as you please."

Maximus was speechless with the notebook in his hand. When he tried to peer inside the notes, Tippy apparated in to call for supper.

"I guess, I will have to wait after dinner to look through your notes."

Maximus cleared his throat and stood from his sofa to go to the dining room. Severus followed his grandfather but was stopped by the door.

Maximus turned towards his grandson and whispered.

"I am not sure if we should disclose your secret to Valeria and Eileen."

Severus agreed with his grandfather.

"Yes, I think it best to just keep this between the two of us."


	8. Chapter 8 New Plan

Maximus was finally able to go through Severus' notebook after others went to bed. He was in his study and could not stop from reading through everything on the notebook. He was speechless and did not know how to describe his own feelings. Maximus was certainly impressed and excited about all the new potions and spells jotted on the notebook. He also felt jealous of the creative mind Severus seems to possess, but mostly he was just astonished by the amount of work Severus had done. And did Severus say this was all made during his years as a student? His grandson was, in fact, a genius, a brilliant mind that may come once in a century. No, maybe once in a millennium, because he had never in his career seen any man as well versed in potions as his grandson was, including the great inventor Nicholas Flamel who he corresponded regularly with. He truly did not know how Maximus would have left this brilliant man alone.

Severus said he had made a grave mistake during his youth. Many of the works Severus made were either improving on a cure, defensive spell, or offensive spells. It was not unnoticed that Severus had the eyes of a man with horror and regrets in his life. Maximus would not be surprised if he went to the dark side which was brewing in the current magical community. Anyone with brains would notice the brilliance of his grandson and try to use him as a tool. This time around, Maximus was there to support his grandson as much as he could, and would never give him any reason to tread to the dark side.

Maximus had an idea what he could do with all these findings, but needed to talk to his lawyers first. He would talk to his lawyer, and then talk to Severus about his new plan for Severus' future. Severus clearly didn't need the tutor they hired. Severus' magic was probably much more advanced than of the tutor herself. But then, he also remembered that Severus was enjoying taking the courses with the Evans' girl. Clearly, Lily was someone Severus thought dearly about during his first life since his grandson had probably intentionally apparated to see her that day. The Evanses were a very good influence to their life, so Maximus would talk about that too with Severus tomorrow. Having able to make a list of todos for the next day, Maximus went to his bedroom to get a much-needed sleep.

Next morning, Maximus called his lawyer about his plans and was happy to hear that it was possible to forgo the plan. He summoned Severus after lunch to his study for a long talk about the future of his grandson.

"Severus, I know you told me I was free to do of the works you handed me yesterday, but I came up with a plan that may satisfy you immensely."

Severus was curious of what Maximus had in mind and nodded for his grandfather to go on with his explanation.

"I have actually asked my lawyer if it was possible to create documents for a person with no background of proof. Someone brilliant in Potions who is seeking a mastership. Of course, I did not disclose your situation and he believes this document is for myself. He knows I do not like my name publicized, but had always been scolding me whenever I gave up my new findings to one of our employees. He told me he would be able to come up with the documents if I could give him a little more back story of this mysterious individual. We will create him for you to use, Severus."

Severus was surprised by this idea.

"I was thinking of taking this new persona as my apprentice, so you can publicize some of your findings and legally get a Masters degree for this alias. In fact, when the time comes, you can have this persona to be your master to apprentice, when it will be your turn to get your own master's degree. This will give you the utmost freedom to further your studies with the least complication and suspicion in the potion business. I know this means that you will need to go through the masters' process two more times in your life, but I am sure you have enough findings in your sleeves to achieve the unthinkable, do you not?"

Maximus smiled with pride towards Severus.

"Personally, I would have loved to have you as my apprentice, but taking any blood relatives, especially in a direct line, are frowned upon in our community and you will not be taken seriously by the Potion Master's Guild. I do not want to put you in such a position, so I believe having this persona will benefit you immensely."

Severus loved the idea his grandfather had come up with and was touched by the amount of care and confidence Maximus expressed in his ability within this short period of time. Having an alternate adult identity would certainly come in handy too.

"Of course, grandfather. I can probably have ten more and still come up with another new idea. I believe I would have to take the NEWT repeatedly too?"

Severus arched his eyebrow but clearly happy with this new development.

"Unfortunately, your assumptions are correct. We will disguise you as a young man so you can take your NEWT at the ministry within this month. I have something that can fool the ministry's test to find disguises. I will then have you as my apprentice, and you can start on your thesis. This should give you something challenging to do for some time, yes?"

Severus nodded and thanked his grandfather for his brilliant idea. He was already turning the wheels in his mind searching which potion he could use for his master thesis. Something impressive, but not something that would gain the attention of the Dark Lord.

"I was wondering what we should do with the tutoring session you have been having that you clearly do not need, Severus."

Maximus went to the next topic. Severus was surprised but answered quickly.

"I know I do not need them, but Lily will gain a lot from these sessions, and I want what's best for her. Anyway, I would still need to be a normal nine-year-old, and these sessions are a perfect cover for me."

Maximus assumed as much and nodded.

"Well, so, Lily Evans. Was she someone important in your other life?"

Maximus was curious about the girl who clearly had all the attention of his grandson.

"Yes. She was actually my only true friend I had, but I let her down which consequently lead to her early death. I am not repeating my mistake again this time around."

Severus said vehemently, determined to do everything he could for Lily. Maximus did not ask to elaborate on his words and just nodded quietly.

"Well, I think our talk is finished for now. I have something for you here, Severus." Maximus handed Severus the ingredients he requested. Severus was delighted to see what Maximus gave him and quickly thanked him before rushing to the potion lab.

Maximus was pleased to see the bright face of his grandson and chuckled for his antics. He then followed his grandson to see how he would brew this nutrition potion.

First thing Maximus saw was Severus wandlessly conjuring the figures of what clearly was the temperature and the moisture of the lab. His grandson then flawlessly started chopping the necessary ingredients and started to create his potion. Maximus was looking through Severus' notes to see the process but noticed his grandson adding or subtracting some of the steps while he went along. Severus constantly smelled and checked the potion, adding a stir their and an ingredient here, not looking at any of the notes he had made. The potion was ready in less than the time indicated in the notes and Severus looked pleased with his work. Maximus looked at the potion which did smell a lot better than the ones he had been brewing for Severus, and licked the potion, surprised by its taste. This certainly will sell a lot better than the ones available.

"Severus, why did you change your formula from the ones you wrote on this notebook?" Maximus was curious as to why Severus made the alteration.

"The notes I wrote is the best way for anyone to brew, and would usually turn out effective and sufficient. However, any potion can be improved accordingly to the environment around us, and I like to make the best potion possible in the environment I am given. This is mostly based on my own experience and intuition, so I do not know how to describe what I do."

Maximus was slack-jawed by what Severus just said. Severus was probably the best potioneer alive if what he just said was true. He has read about a theory on intuitive brewing, but never really saw anyone actually do them or heard anyone do them in all of his fifty plus years of life.

"Your ability just astonishes me, Severus. You can not imagine how proud I am to call you my heir."

Severus blushed and seemed embarrassed by the praise, clearly not used to having anyone say it to him in his life. Maximus was angry with the magical community to not notice the brilliance of his grandson in the other life. Severus was a confident man but was not aware of his true worth. Yesterday, Severus just handed a significant amount of creation to him without much concern. No one could come up with this amount of creativity at such an early age, but he thought of them as nothing. His grandson was clearly unappreciated in his time. Maximus promised himself to praise Severus and acknowledge his achievements because this was truly a great deal.

For the next few days, Maximus started to create the potions listed on Severus' notes and noticed many of his improved methods were truly easier and more effective than the previous one. Maximus also started to apply some of Severus' theories and findings into his own work and was impressed by the improvement he was able to make on his own experiments.

"You seem to be always in the lab these past few days. Are you in a verge of a breakthrough?"

Valeria noticed the excitement Maximus was showing and could not stop but wonder on the reason for his high spirit.

"Actually, yes. I was able to get some very profound insight from a brilliant mind. Now I think my experiments have progressed a lot more than I could have imagined a few days ago."

Maximus smirked but did not give any more details to Valeria.

While Maximus was working on his experiments, Severus was reviewing the NEWTS. It had been more than two decades since he took the NEWTS, so he wanted to review all the subjects especially in Transfiguration, Charm, and Ancient Runes. Even though Severus was busy with his studies, he still managed to squeeze in his nightly floo calls with Lily.

Maximus was on his way to his lab when he heard the now familiar laughter of his grandson from the living room. Maximus looked through the door and saw the small form of his grandson sprawled in front of the fireplace chatting happily with his little girlfriend through the floo. It was still difficult to wrap his mind around with the fact that this little boy was probably the smartest person he had ever met. He just could not wait to see all the achievements his grandson would show to this world. However, seeing him carefree and happy made Maximus happy. He prayed that Lily Evans would not break his grandson's heart when they grow up.


	9. Chapter 9 Caius Corvo

Few days later, Severus was standing in front of the mirror looking at his disguise Maximus had created for him. He was very impressed with the concoction Maximus had made to disguise him as a young man in his mid-twenties. He had a dark blond hair with grey eyes, and was not too good looking, but also not too ugly to stand out in any way. Severus was especially fascinated by the unique magic.

The magic from the altered Polyjuice Potion and Maximus' original spell was delicately intertwined to a complicated thread of magic. This complicated magic is probably what enables a long-term effect of this disguise, and makes it impervious to detection spells used at the Ministry. Severus never knew until now that one could mesh the magic from the potion with a spell work like this. He had combined potion with a spell work, such as the antidote he created for Dumbledore to slow the curse, but the spell and the potion worked on a different level and did not intertwine or mesh like this magic his grandfather had done.

This was definitely an area he could pursue and learn from his grandfather, for it was a much more complex strand of magic he had ever encountered in his life. He wondered what other kinds of magic could mesh together. He was glad he could see the magical thread which helped him immensely in his spell creation. Severus did know that most of the wizards and witches could not see this magical thread. He had once described what he saw to Lily, but she never understood him thought him lying. Severus then went to the Hogwarts library to understand what he was seeing and found a book that explained the theory of magical thread.

Maximus noticed Severus staring around himself in the mirror and wondered if he didn't like the form he had chosen for him.

"Grandfather, this is very impressive. This magic is your creation, is it not? Where did you learn how to combine the two branches of magic together?"

Severus wanted to know more about the technique.

Maximus was happy to be able to impress his genius grandson.

"Well, this is actually a little something I can do using my unique ability. It is a very advanced magical technique. We can talk about this after we come back from buying your wand."

Severus nodded and followed his grandfather towards the gate. Maximus would apparate Severus to Diagon Alley so they could get a wand for Severus' new persona since he would need a wand when taking his NEWT.

"Maximus! I didn't know you were bringing a friend over."

Valeria caught them in the corridor, and both men froze. Severus was the first to react to her sudden presence.

"You should be the wonderful wife of Maximus. My name is Caius Corvo, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Severus graciously took and kissed the hand of Valeria. Valeria smiled at her young guest.

"Nice to meet you too, Caius. Will you be staying for lunch? I am sorry I wasn't aware of your presence."

"I am afraid I cannot stay long. I actually I came by unannounced to ask for direction to a supplier for quality wormwood essence. Your husband has graciously consented to take me to one of his trusted suppliers. I knew I had overstepped the bounds by calling him through the floo so suddenly, but I really wanted the opinion of my new Master in Potion"

"Maximus is your new Master? I did not know my Maximus was taking an apprentice. When did this come about?"

Valeria was now looking at Maximus for the needed answer. Maximus, on the other hand, was trying hard to come up with a believable story, since his wife knew he had never taken any apprentice in his life.

"This is a new development ma'am. Your husband had kindly taken me as his apprentice when I brought my application to find work at his company a few days ago. You see, I wanted to save up some money for my apprentice through this job but he had agreed to take me as an apprentice instead."

Severus smiled while wandlessly putting a mild confundus charm over his grandmother.

"Well, it was a real pleasure to meet you. I am sorry to interrupt your day. ma'am. I think I need to get going now."

Valeria blinked and nodded, then turned to go about her way. Maximus sighed in relief.

"Well, you certainly know how to conduct in this kind of situation, Severus."

His grandson was full of surprises, that it was hard for Maximus to ascertain any of his heir's abilities.

"Well, yes, for the most part of my adult life I had to lie through my teeth to a group of psychotic murderers and had to think on my feet to survive."

Severus said in a self-loathing tone. Maximus stared at his grandson with a face of a stranger, that oddly looked older than the new identity. Even the guise of a young man in his twenties was too young to hold the eyes of his grandson with that matured and haunted look that eerily looked like a war veteran.

Maximus then realized that his grandson was probably a true veteran who had experienced war. The men in front of him went through enough experience to understand all the horrors of life. This was when Maximus finally realized he had to throw off all the concept of his grandson being a child. He was dealing with a brilliant adult with a lot of heavy baggages in his closet.

Severus was able to buy his wand without any complication and was relieved to find a different wand for this persona. He was secretly dreading for his old wand to find him under the disguise. Now, he just hoped he would get the same wand when he will come by again as Severus Prince.

Severus then guided his grandfather to a deserted alley and asked him to take off his guise. He then asked his grandfather to buy some candies for Eileen and Valeria and an ice cream for deception.

"Don't you want more colorful flavors than vanilla?"

Maximus teased his grandson.

"No thank you. I never went for those when I was a child anyway, and this should be fine. You should buy yourself one too."

"I might as well buy some for home so your grandmother and your mother can enjoy the ice cream as well."

Severus shrugged his small body leaving the decision up to his grandfather. He took his grandfather's hand so Maximus could apparate them back together. When they reached the gate, they faced a worried looking Valera pacing by the gate. She was startled by their sudden appearance but was relieved as soon as she saw her grandson with her husband.

"Thank Merlin, you are safe. I was worried when I couldn't find you, Severus!"

"Sorry grandmother, when I saw grandfather by the gate, I told him to take me with him out of the house. Look, we bought you some sweets and ice cream!"

Severus grinned at his grandmother and Valeria returned a smile looking at the happy face of her grandson.

"I see you had your dessert before your lunch, young man. You will still need to eat a healthy amount of food for lunch."

"Yes, grandmother. Is mother around? I want to show her the sweets."

Severus went off to find his mother.

Maximus could not be but amused by his grandson's demeanor to suddenly change to that of a young boy. No wonder it was hard for him to figure out his grandson. He just hoped he himself could keep this secret for his grandson's sake.

"So, Maximus. What is this about the young man who just came by this morning?"

Valeria went straight to the interrogation. Maximus had always told her everything about his business. She wanted to know why he kept this big news from her.

"To tell you the truth, I was actually a little embarrassed."

Maximus thought of going for the half-truth without revealing the identity of Severus. Right before coming back here, Severus gave him a good story to use.

"You know that I don't like the hassle to go through having an apprentice. Do you remember the other day that I talked with a brilliant mind who gave me the idea on my own experiments? This is him. He is still so young, but have the flare to potions I have not seen in a while. I thought having him around will actually help me with my own creations. I was ashamed to tell you because this accommodation was more for my benefit and I also couldn't admit to you that I found someone so young who could be better than me in Potions."

Maximus was embarrassed to admit Severus to be a better Potioneer than himself, so he was genuine in his feelings. Valeria smiled at Maximus.

"There is always someone better in this world, Maximus. But that does not mean you are less than what you are. You are still the smartest man I have ever met, and that will never change. I also love the fact that you can admit the abilities of others. You never have to feel ashamed of yourself in front of me."

Maximus was touched by his wife's word and smiled at her. He did feel a little guilty for not being truthful about Severus, but he knew that this secret was better kept between the two male Princes since both of them were adept with occluding their minds.

"Oh, I forgot! Healer Hollande fire called a few minutes ago and asked if he could come by this afternoon. He wanted to check on the progress of Severus. You aren't bringing him out again today, are you?"

"No, it was really just a spur of the moment thing for today. I was just going to bring Caius to my supplier and thought no harm would come by bringing along Severus with me. I will try to at least send a Patronus to you if it happens again."

"Please do that. Our Severus seems to have very strong magic in him and it worries me that he may apparate again somewhere he could be alone and hurt. I do not know why Eileen is so calm about her boy. Now that they are out of harm's way, Eileen seems to suddenly stop worrying about her own son's whereabouts."

Maximus internally thought she had no idea how much magic Severus truly possessed.

"I think Eileen knows how clever the boy is. I had a long talk with him about the incident to apparate out from the premise, and he told me that he was bored and wanted to strongly meet the girl he met in his neighborhood. Now that he can talk to Lily daily, and is busy with the homework for the weekend session, he is calmer and is content to stay at home. I doubt there will be another incident happening again."

"Well, I hope you are right Maximus. I am happy to know that you are talking with the boy. You first seemed to be hesitant in approaching him, but now, look at you bringing the boy out, eating ice cream with him! Severus seems to become closer to you within this past few days. At least one of us is having progress with our charge."

Valeria sighed.

"Eileen is still in her shell, isn't she? She has yet to meet the Evanses, and it has already been months since we met them."

Maximus looked solemn, also not knowing what to do with his beloved daughter. Looking at how Severus had been genuinely caring and patient towards his mother, he was frightened to know what happened with Eileen in the other life. He was not sure if he would have the courage to ever ask about it.

The Princes had a nice lunch that ended with desserts that Maximus had purchased from Diagon Alley. Eileen looked pleased with the ice cream and the sweets Severus had chosen for her, and the elder Princes was relieved to look at the happy face of their daughter.


	10. Chapter 10 Unappreciated Genius

Healer Hollande arrived right after the Princes finished their lunch.

"Hello Severus, I will be doing the routine checkup again. Please sit still while I put you through the diagnostic charm. This shouldn't take long."

Hollande smiled at his young patient who looked healthy and happy showing no hint of the horrible abuse he went through. He was impressed with the strength the boy possessed and was glad he was able to come to this loving environment. Hollande was, however, surprised to find the boy suddenly growing a lot faster than he had in the last checkup. In fact, he had never seen this much growth from any other patient in his experience.

"Severus, you are actually doing a lot better than I could have imagined. It is actually off the chart! What have you been doing this month?"

Hollande could not hold his surprise. Maximus also saw the chart and was amazed by the effect of the new nutrition potion. And this was created by Severus when he was still a student at Hogwarts!

"We have been using a new nutrition potion that was patented recently through my company. It is still in the process, and I am thinking of distributing them to all the hospitals."

Maximus explained proudly while conjuring one of the bottles from the cabinet Severus had been storing and handed it to Hollande. Healer Hollande took the bottle and sniffed the Potion.

"This smells a lot better than the current nutrition potion."

"It also tastes better, and works twice as better than the current version."

Hollande was impressed by the Potion.

"Who invented this? Was it one of your employees? Do I know him? Will this be published soon?"

The healer could not stop his excitement about this new invention.

"This, my friend, was actually invented by a mere student without any mastery."

Maximus smirked.

"A student!? That could not be right. Inventing potions at that age is not something I have ever heard of! How did you come about this potion, Lord Prince?"

Hollande was amazed by what he just heard. He knew Lord Prince would never lie or exaggerate the information, especially concerning a potion.

"His name is Caius Corvo, and I will be taking him as my apprentice this coming year. He is a very talented young man and had actually come up with the potion years ago. I think he invented it for himself since he hated the current concoction. I must admit, I was overjoyed about this creation that I could not wait until the official patent, and have been giving them to Severus for the past two weeks.

"Two weeks only!? And I can already see the difference in his growth! I cannot wait until I can get a hand on this potion for my other patients. The children would definitely benefit the most! This nutrition potion would surely be the talk of the year within the pediatric industry. You have to introduce me to this mysterious apprentice of yours one day, Lord Prince."

Hollande talked animatedly showing all his delight. Maximus saw his grandson being a little uncomfortable to this blatant show of praise.

"I will certainly talk to him, Healer Hollande. I am lucky to be the first one to snatch him as my apprentice. I am very certain that he will make me a very proud Master when he gets his own Mastery."

Maximus gave a genuine smile and saw Severus' face heating up.

"I will come by again next month. Please contact me when this potion becomes available to the public."

Healer Hollande stressed his request and left through the floo. After Healer Hollande left, Severus was the first one to speak.

"Surely, Healer Hollande was exaggerating about this nutrition potion, This is just a nutrition potion that could have been developed by any other competent Masters. In my time, no one really asked about this. Even the healer matron in Hogwarts just shrugged it off for it to be just something that tastes a little better than the previous one." Maximus was startled by what his grandson confessed.

"What do you mean the matron just shrugged them off? And did you just say you were providing potions to Hogwarts?"

"Well, I was the Potion professor at Hogwarts for fifteen years, and it was my job to provide all the potions in Hogwarts. When I gave my better version of many of the potions to her, she just took one look and that was it. Also, during my days as a student in Hogwarts, everyone knew I liked inventing potions, but none of the students nor the teachers really commented about it, so I thought it was not that surprising for students to experiment and create potions. I was mostly confined in Hogwarts during my adult life, so I have only had the one Master I apprenticed with who was a dunderhead, and Slughorn to measure my ability to. I know I am better than those two Masters, and I know I am good at the subject, but I do not believe myself to be world class outstanding. Dumbledore surely never commented on my ability in potion when I was his Potion Master."

Maximus was gobsmacked by Severus' words. Severus hesitated at first but went on.

"I wanted to apprentice to a better Master and sent a lot of application out but was denied by most because I did not have enough money and had no one to back me up. By then, Slughorn had painted myself to be a lost cause. At the time, I admit I was with the 'wrong' crowd. But I didn't get any of those rich friends to back me up either, so I was literally on my own."

Maximus could glimpse the hardship Severus had faced during his first life and stayed quiet to let his grandson continue his story. He seemed to be in the mood to let out some of his feelings, so he listened patiently, though it was hard to not get angry with the magical community of that time.

"Master Edmund was the only one who accepted my application, but he just wanted a servant he could command and did not teach me anything. I am just glad I could quickly come up with my thesis and get my Masters degree within a year."

"Wait, Severus did you not say you were twenty when you got your Masters? How could it be that you were an apprentice for only a year?" Maximus thought two years was impressive enough since it usually took five to ten years for Masters to come up with any impressionable creation as a Masters project.

"It took me a year to find a Master to apprentice, grandfather. I thought my NEWT scores could be enough to prove myself, but that was not the case. I was not able to attain any recommendation letter from any of my professors. This is another reason why I do not think myself to be anymore but an above average Potion Master."

Severus shrugged his shoulder. Severus could never say to his grandfather, but he believed that the Dark Arts he learned under the tutelage of the Dark Lord during that year had helped him elevate his Potions skills.

Maximus did not know what to say to this. It seems Severus had very bad luck with the people around him. Nobody noticed how brilliant he truly was because they were all too stupid to understand his brilliance. Maximus had never heard in his life of a student inventing a potion, and he never heard any of his employee and colleagues to invent one during their student years. The very first invention would be their Master thesis, and even that would take them more than five years to accomplish. Potions came so naturally for Severus that he had probably made it look easy for others around him. Adults around him also failed to see the great potential he had, and he blamed Slughorn and Dumbledore for it. Or maybe they did notice his grandson's talent but was threatened by his brilliance and prevented him to flourish.

The room became quiet, and it seems Severus was finished with whatever he had to say. Maximus cleared his throat.

"I hope you know that Potions was never Dumbledore's strong suit. I also have never heard of an Edmond, and I even know Slughorn had just created the one potion for his Master's degree. They are a nobody in Potions, Severus, and I am proud to say that I am the founder of the worldly renowned Potion Lab in the whole World. When I say you are by far the most proficient Potion Master I have ever met, then you have to believe that it is true."

Maximus hoped his words will encourage his grandson.

"Oh yes, you do own a Potion Lab somewhere in Europe. What is it called? I was never able to go through all the Prince asset at the time."

Severus asked his grandfather. Maximus was startled by this since it meant that his grandson never touched his Prince inheritance in his life. At what age did his grandson die? Maximus was trying to calculate in his head using all the information Severus just gave away. Severus looked at Maximus who was trying to figure out something in his mind.

"If you must know, grandfather, I was thirty-eight when I died."

Severus did not need to read his grandfather's mind to know what he was curious about.

Maximus was surprised to hear that his grandson had passed in such a young age.

"Well, thank you for telling me your true age. To answer your question, my lab is called The Potion Research Laboratory in Sweden."

It was Severus' turn to be surprised.

"The Potion Research Laboratory in Sweden!? That is the laboratory of every Potions Master's dream! I tried to apply for a job once, but was sent away because of my poor attire and could not even get an interview."

Severus smiled sadly at his past. Maximus sputtered by this revelation.

"Are you telling me that we could have met in your other life too if whoever was tending the desk had let you in!? Who was he or she!? That is unacceptable behavior as my employee!"

Severus was amused by the anger Maximus had displayed.

"In your employee's defense, I was a mess during that time. I just lost Lily, and I do not think I cared about my hygiene. I thought if I concentrated on research and inventions, I could forget for a little while about the hurt and guilt I was drowning in. I may also have been rude to people all around me. Anyway, this person would not even be in your employment yet, grandfather. I also do not think you would have hired me if you met me at the time. Either way, the Ministry would have gotten a hold of me, and I would have ended up in Hogwarts under Albus' protection, so I did not have a chance in working at any research laboratory in my other life."

Maximus now just wished he was there to support his grandson during those awful times but that was another life, and for this new life, he promised himself to be there for his grandson in any way he could.

"Well, I am glad to know that my Lab is still known in your days. So now that you know I am the founder of that Lab, I must say that your skills in Potions are off the scale. Everyone in my Lab was impressed by your work. Oh, and as I have told Healer Hollande, this nutrition potion is under the process of patenting under your other name and my Lab will be responsible for its distribution. Would you like to look through the contract? I am sorry I did not let you in on this decision."

"No, that is fine. I have already told you that you could do as you wish with those creations. I have created a lot more after I got my Masters, so those are nothing to me. I am actually more interested in the magic you used this morning. You said you would explain how you created the magic."

Maximus did not know how Severus could be so aloof with his achievements, but his statement about more inventions did make him curious. Maximus wanted Severus to elaborate more on his other inventions, but could not ignore the eager face of his grandson.

For now, he should indulge Severus with explaining the rare magic Maximus possessed.

"Why don't we move to my study, I have some materials there that can aid my explanation."

Severus nodded and followed his grandfather to his study.


	11. Chapter 11 Prince Family Secret

When they reached the study, Severus sat on the sofa and patiently waited for his grandfather to start his explanation.

"Before I start, I would like to ask if you ever heard of the Magical Thread Theory."

"Actually, I have. I tried to find out more about this theory but was only able to find two books that skimmed through this theory in Hogwarts."

Severus answered, a little surprised by his grandfather's knowledge. Maximus, on the other hand, was surprised that Severus already knew about the theory. This should make his explanation a lot easier than he anticipated.

"Well, to say it bluntly, Magical Thread Theory is not a theory but a fact where most wizards and witches are not aware of. Moreover, this is a known fact to the goblins and some of the other magical species who are especially sensitive to magic."

Maximus looked at his grandson who didn't seem to react with his revelation.

"The Prince bloodline is the most magically sensitive bloodlines within the pureblood family since we are not only the bloodline that can go directly back to Merlin himself but also have some creature blood, including high-elves running within our vain." Maximus saw Severus' eyes grow large and smirked. Finally, a reaction from his grandson.

"We are called the Prince for a reason, Severus. We have Royalty in our blood from both the human side and from the creature side. That is also why we have a family secret that can never be discussed outside of this premises." Maximus stood up and tapped one of the bookshelves to reveal a secret compartment. From the compartment, he brought out an old book.

"This book, Severus, is the only book that describes a way to manipulate the Magical Thread."

Severus' jaw dropped. All his life, he wondered what he was seeing, and the answer was here at the Prince estate.

"Manipulating Magical Thread is fundamentally changing the properties of Magic, and have to be done with utmost caution. This is magic of its purest form, and can only be done by those who have the sight"

"A sight?"

Maximus knew he had the attention of his grandson.

"Yes. Those with the power of sight is very very rare, even within our bloodline. The last known Prince with the sight was Silvanus Prince in the 1700s, who actually created this Prince Estate by his invention of the Patronus Charm. We did not have any with the sight since then, not until me."

Maximus proudly said and could see the surprised face of his grandson.

"You have the Sight too?"

Severus was so surprised that he could not stop the slip of his tongue. Maximus, of course, noticed his slip and was equally surprised by this turn of event.

"Are you saying, Severus, that you can also see the magical threads around us?"

Severus hesitantly nodded.

"Well, I can only see them when I concentrate on them. The first time I saw the strand was during the summer of my third year at our home. Lily didn't believe me, though I was certain of what I saw. I wanted to know what I was seeing, and that is how I found about the theory. I tried to concentrate to see something in Hogwarts but it made my eyes too bright and gave me a headache so I only tried it at home."

"Hogwarts has too much magic within the castle, even I would not try to use my Sight there."

Maximus found about his Sight when he did a spell that was written in this old book on himself when he came of age. He remembered how elated he and his father was to find that Maximus was blessed with the Sight. He then started his exercises written in the book to develop his Sight and it took him a good ten years until he was able to manipulate the thread.

Since he was the one who got this power, it was not surprising to see Eileen not having the gift. Until a few minutes ago, Maximus thought he would be explaining Magical Thread by showing the concept using a regular thread. Never in his life did he imagine he would have the opportunity to actually show how to thread magic in front of anyone. His grandson was not only a genius but also had the power like himself, to create a new branch of magic.

This was when Maximus had an epiphany. The magical power and intelligence Severus was blessed with can literally change the magical world, but in the wrong hands, it can also destroy the world.

Maybe Severus went through the hardship in his first life so he would be humble and would know how to appreciate the little things around him. Maximus looked back to his achievement. It was true that he was the founder of the Lab, and had created some potions that could help some people. However, he knew he was not in the same caliber as his other ancestors who had the gift of sight. He had always wondered why he was blessed with the sight, and maybe the reason was there sitting in front of him. His true role was to guide his grandson to greatness he was so sure Severus would achieve in this future.

Severus was not sure why Maximus suddenly quieted and began to intensely gaze at him. He was wondering if he was wrong about the Sight, and Maximus was doing something to him to measure his ability. Maybe the magic he was seeing was not what his grandfather had described but was something else?

Maximus just kept his gaze on Severus, and the younger Prince was getting uncomfortable by the minute.

"I may be wrong."

Maximus blinked by the sudden admission of his grandson.

"I thought the magic I was seeing was the Magical Thread, but I am not certain if it truly is the Magical Thread you have described."

Severus dropped his gaze, not wanting to see his grandfather's disappointment. Will his grandfather still continue with the explanation? He hoped so because even though he would not be able to do what his grandfather could, he still wanted to know about the theory behind it.

Maximus thought for a while and conjured a magical thread in front of him.

"Severus, can you tell me if you see anything in front of me?"

Maximus observed his grandson carefully and noticed his grandson looking intently in the correct direction.

"I see a thin silver strand of thread that starts from around your left shoulder down across to your right waist."

Severus moved his right arm to stress how the thread flowed. Maximus smiled.

"You certainly have the Sight, Severus."

Severus' face lit up with this realization.

"You already seem to be able to see the strands with no problem, but I will teach you the meditation technique I used when I was self-teaching myself. This magic actually uses a lot of our own magic, and I am afraid that your body is still too young for this kind of strain. I think we can start with an hour session a week and keep the practical for just a few minutes and concentrate on theory first."

Severus nodded, understanding this to be true. He did experiment the other day with his magic and had to admit that it was not at all close to his adult-self.

"Thank you, grandfather. I will strive to learn this magic and hope to make you proud one day."

Severus smiled, truly excited about learning a new branch of magic. Maximus chuckled.

"I know you will, and I am already proud to have you as my grandson. I thought I already said that, did I not? Severus, I hope you will believe me when I say that I am truly honored to call you my grandson"

Severus was touched by Maximus. He did remember him saying that about his works, but it was nice to hear from him again. This was his first time to have someone genuinely be proud of his achievements.

"I should warn you that this book can never leave the confine of this study, and I mean this literally. I believe Silvanus Prince himself had created a spell on this book to always stay within this study. I will show you how to open the compartment so you can read the book anytime you wish."

Severus memorized the wand movement and tried it with his new wand to see if he could open the compartment, which he was able to open with just one try.

"Well, I think this should be enough talk for now. Why don't you take some time to yourself? You can review your NEWT or you can maybe write me the outline of your thesis for your second Master's degree."

Maximus was amused with his own word because it was the truth. Severus will then take his third Masters again, this time finally as Severus Prince, and he could not wait to see his grandson flourish. However, until then, he needed to come up with an arrangement that will allow Severus the freedom to make his own potions and a believable front that would show Valeria and the others around him that he was working with Caius.


	12. Chapter 12 New Routine

Maximus thought it was time to talk to his lawyer, Gaston about Caius Corvo. He told him that Caius Corvo was, in fact, someone he found recently, who had been homeschooled all his life and had just lost his parents in a fire. The young man had no credentials, since most of his possessions were lost in the fire, but was clearly very versed with Potions. Maximus wanted to help this promising young man acquire the necessary documentation to take his NEWT so he can take him in as his apprentice.

Within the week, Gaston was able to create a believable document to show the Ministry, and with those documents, Severus was finally able to take his second NEWT exam disguised as Caius.

Severus intentionally made some mistakes on his test except for Potions to not gain too much attention to himself. That was why when Caius Carvo got the results of his exams two weeks later, he had an O in Potion, but Es for the rest of his subject.

When Maximus first saw the result of the NEWT, he did not know what to say to his grandson. He honestly thought that Severus would actually get all Os in NEWT. The elder Prince was worried that his grandson would be disappointed with this results and treaded carefully of what to say. The results were certainly not bad at all considering that Severus crammed his NEWT studies within a month, and it had been close to two decades since he took this exam the first time around. However, he was surprised to see a smirk on his grandson's face.

"This result should do for Caius Carvo. I want him to be a little over average Potions Master who would be creating two potions for his Master degree. The potion will be both impressive, but would not catch any unwanted attention."

Severus gave the thesis for his Master degree to Maximus. Maximus took the thick bundle of parchment, not knowing what to say. Maximus thought Severus was working on an outline, and not the entire thesis. Severus noticed that his grandfather was just staring over the cover of his work, but he continued his explanation.

"The first potion will be my old creation that removes any old scars from the skin. I noticed that my mother had been applying a scar remover for some time now, and I know those will not reduce her scars. I invented this for myself, and I know it can remove any old scars and burns, this can even work on magical scars to some extent. I was thinking of publishing this within the first six months of my apprentice. The potion is just an alteration of the current solution, so I don't think it will be enough for my Master's thesis, but I think this to be a sufficient potion to patent for distribution. I really want mother to have it as soon as possible."

"Did you just write two Master level thesis within two weeks?"

Severus just kept surprising Maximus. He himself would not think he would be able to write this level of thesis within that short span of time.

"Well, I have already written them in my time, so I just had to recall everything that I wrote. Now, for the second potion, I have chosen a hair regrowing potion I had accidentally created. I wanted to lessen the greasy effect all the potion fumes had on my hair, but my first attempt ended up being a hair regrowing potion. This would actually need a little more refinement, so what I gave you is just my theory with no conclusion as of yet. I will work on the conclusion within the next three, four years. So, what do you think of this two potions, grandfather?"

Maximus tried to absorb and process all the information his grandson just gave him.

"I have to read your notes first to give you my opinion, but you seem to have clearly given a lot of thought on this. Why did you choose these two again?"

"Well, as I have said before, I wanted to create a potion that would not gain too much attention. I prefer Caius Corvo to be anonymous in every way. However, he will still need to be respected enough for me to choose him as my Master. Caius will also be patenting the nutrition potion soon, so I thought I could tell everyone that I chose Master Caius because he had invented the scar removing potion for my mother, and also a better nutrition potion which saved my life."

Maximus nodded, agreeing with his grandson completely. It was a great idea, and the elder Prince understood the need for anonymity. The first two solutions were just an improvement on the current concoction, so it would not in any way get the attention of the Magical Community. Anyway, this two potion will mostly be used by healers, so Caius will only be known in the healing community.

Maximus started to read the thesis right after Severus left his study. The materials were very interesting that soon Maximus was immersed with the reading and even forgot to show for dinner on time until Tippy came to call him. Even though it was true that his grandson's scar remover was based on the existing potion, the alteration itself was groundbreaking. All the studies his grandson had made was new and exciting, and he couldn't wait to see the reaction of the entire Potion community.

At the end, Maximus and Severus had agreed that Caius will work as an apprentice at Maximus' Laboratory in Sweden.

Maximus had his own personal Laboratory set up there as well, which he uses for more of his volatile experiments. None of his other employees had access to the area, so nobody would know if Caius was actually there or not. Maximus was actually planning to work on some of his new ideas in that Lab, and leave Severus alone at Prince Estate. Maximus had told Valeria that he had allowed Severus to use his Lab as he pleases but had put a protective and monitoring charm, and had connected both of his Labs with a private floo so Maximus could always come by and check on his grandson.

Valeria accepted his explanation, and just told him to not take too much work onto himself. Severus asked his grandfather to teach him how to apply the disguise on himself so he could become Caius without his grandfather's assistant. However, this new technique his grandfather taught him was by far the most difficult magic he had ever tried. It took him close to a month to perfect the disguise, and the magic required for the spell was too much for Severus that he agreed to only use it in an emergency.

When apprentice contract was signed between Maximus and Caius in mid-October, a new routine was made in the Prince household. Maximus would sometimes be out to his Lab to look over his "apprentice" which he usually just used that time to work on his own project. Severus continued to spend his weekends with Lily, but he had an additional one hour session with Maximus to learn more about Magical Thread.

As promised, Severus submitted his first potion to the Potion institution for publication after few months of his "apprenticeship" under Maximus. This new scar remover was not accepted as a Master level thesis as Severus predicted, but had gotten a positive reaction from the healers. Since it was Caius' second potion in such a short succession, Caius Carvo became the talk of the healers community in the UK. What pleased Severus to no end was the surprising positive impact the scar remover had on Eileen. When her scars on her back had healed completely, Eileen was finally able to let her psychological scars to heal.


	13. Chapter 13 Unexpected Encounter

It was now close to a year since Severus became a Prince, and he was enjoying his current life. The routine with the Evans had made the friendship with Lily a lot stronger than the first time around. They even shared their first Christmas together and celebrated each of their birthdays after New Year. It had been the happiest holiday season he had ever experienced in his life.

Severus was even contemplating whether to tell her the truth of his identity but knew she was still too young to understand the implication. Severus had also become very close to his grandfather since the revelation and actually started to look up to him more as a father figure.

Severus had often times helped his grandfather with his experiments and his grandfather had publicly credited his name, although it was under Caius Corvo. Maximus was eager to listen to Severus' opinion, and this was a new experience for Severus.

Maximus in return was teaching Severus the Magical Thread and was pleased with how fast Severus was progressing. Maximus knew that if the magical level of his grandson was of an adult, then the progress would be a lot faster than as it was.

This past few months, interacting with his grandson and listening to glimpse of his future past, had enabled him to vaguely paint the picture of his grandson's other life.

Severus was probably once part of the Dark forces that was brewing in the current magical community under a madman who called himself Lord Voldemort. However, he did something that consequently lead to Lily Evan's death, and had changed his side to the light, working as a double agent of sort until his death. If Severus died at age thirty-eight, and Lily Evan's had died around the time Severus was twenty, that would mean he had been working as a spy for close to two decades. Just thinking about the hardship Severus had faced tore the heart of Maximus. He was just glad that his grandson had gotten a second chance and was grateful that his grandson was enjoying this current life.

Maximus was also happy for Eileen since she was finally coming out of her shell. The other day, she had finally shown herself at one of the dinners they had with the Evans. Although she did not talk much, it was a huge step for her to take. Today, Valeria had told him the good news that Eileen had gone out to Diagon Alley alone. He hoped his daughter was enjoying her trip.

Eileen was indeed having a nice time strolling Diagon Alley. When she saw all of her scars removed a few months ago, she finally felt free from the shackle that was Tobias Snape.

Eileen started helping out her mother with the gardens, and remembered how she loved tending the herbs and plants. The other day, she was even able to pull up the courage to meet the Evans. Now, here she was alone in Diagon Alley to find the seeds of some plants she wanted to grow. She then noticed a small bookstore and entered to see if she may find something interesting. She saw a small boy around her son's age reading a book.

But then, she noticed the boy was bandaged in several areas. When she observed the boy carefully, she could tell that he was also in some pain, and was trying to ignore them by reading the book. The battered form of her son came to mind, and she became concerned with the boy.

When Eileen went closer to the boy, he noticed her presence and looked up from his book. Their eyes met, and she smiled at the little boy.

"Hello, my name is Eileen. Can I ask what book you are reading? I have a son around your age and wanted to know what might interest him"

The boy was startled to suddenly have someone talk to him. He looked a little afraid of her, but he noticed that she kept her distance and was smiling at him warmly.

"Um.. I like reading history, but I don't know if others like them."

The boy answered her quietly, and quickly looked around him, as if he was looking for someone, or maybe afraid of someone?

"Remus!"

The boy was startled by the sudden loud voice. Eileen saw the man who had just shouted the name. Eileen went close to the boy and whispered.

"Is, is he hurting you?"

Her heart rate was increasing, and all the fear she felt under Tobias was coming back.

"What? No, no."

The boy denied, but Eileen could only see her battered son in the boy in front of him.

"I will help you."

Eileen was determined to keep the boy away from the man.

"Remus! There you are! How many times have I told you to not get out of my site!"

The man's angered tone had reminded her of Tobias, that Eileen had to get out of this place. She noticed the boy also seemed scared of the man.

"Don't come near us!"

Eileen shouted. The man was startled by the sudden voice of Eileen, noticing for the first time of her presence. Eileen held the boy's arm, and brought her wand out and apparated the two of them to her home.

The two suddenly appeared at the living room of Prince manor, startling Severus, who was reading by the fireplace. Severus noticed the panic and scared face of Eileen right away, and run to her side.

"Mother! What happened? Are you hurt!?"

He then noticed a boy cowering by her side. The boy looked around Severus' age and seemed vaguely familiar. He was frantically looking around his surrounding, obviously not understanding his situation. He had bandages on his wrist and arm and had a long gash along the side of his face. Their eyes met, and the boy seemed to calm by his presence.

"Who are you? Do you know where I am? I need to get back to my father!"

The boy pleaded to Severus.

"No! You can't go back to the man who hurt you!"

Eileen sternly told the boy. Severus was startled by the sudden outburst of his mother.

"He hasn't hurt me! He is my father! Please, you have to bring me back to the bookshop!"

Eileen was not listening to the boy, and seemed to be within her own world.

"No no! You are hurt, and I will help you from your father!"

Severus noticed that his mother was having some kind of a flashback.

"Mother, we are fine. We are out of harm's way now"

He spoke softly to his mother and brought her towards the Sofa. He then called one of their house elves to bring his mother some tea.

"Mother, look at me. I am not hurt, and we are safe here in Prince manor."

Severus tried to calm his mother by repeating the words, fine and safe. Eileen touched her son's face, and his arms, looking for any sign of abuse but was relieved when she saw no bruises or marks on him.

"Yes, we are, aren't we."

"Can I go out to play now, mother?"

Eileen nodded, and Severus softly smiled at his mother. He then beckoned the now quiet boy to come with him. Severus quietly closed the door of the living room, when he saw his mother calm down and started sipping her tea.

Once the boys were out to the corridor and were good distance away from the living room, Severus finally spoke to the stranger.

"I am sorry about my mother. I will bring you to my grandfather now, so he can apparate you back to the bookstore."

The boy looked relieved by his words.

"So, how did you hurt yourself?"

Severus casually asked, but noticed the boy tense by his question.

"It was just a little accident. It's nothing to be concerned about."

Severus observed the boy. The boy looked a little skittish which may give away a vibe of abuse, however Severus got a feeling that there may be more to the story. He just nodded and resumed the walk to his grandfather's study.

"My name is Severus Prince, by the way. We may see each other in Hogwarts someday."

The boy was surprised to suddenly be introduced.

"I, I am Remus Lupin"

Severus halted, surprised by who Eileen brought home. Remus also halted, not understanding why Severus suddenly stopped his walk.

"Um, I just remembered that we have some potions you can use for your cuts and bruise."

"Oh, don't worry about them. I am fine"

"No, please, I insist. It is a new scar remover that my grandfather's lab have come up with. I believe that this is not yet distributed in the UK. Please keep them as a form of our apology. I am truly sorry for my mother. I think she genuinely just wanted to protect you."

Severus started to walk towards the lab instead of the study. Remus smiled at Severus.

"That's alright. I am just worried about my father. He will be so frantic by losing me."

Remus looked worried. Severus internally thought of how horrible Lupin's father could be feeling. If his memory was correct, the father was the reason why Lupin was cursed a werewolf by Greyback in the first place. If he had lost his son under his care again, his father would be having a panic attack by now. The guilt of damning their loved one was excruciating. Suddenly, he got the vision of Lily laying dead on the floor. Severus shook off his train of thought. That life is not going to happen.

Severus entered into the lab and got several vials of the salve and put them in a small paper bag. He also added few of his version of the pain relieving potion inside and handed the bag to Remus. Remus accepted with a quiet thank you, and they walked to his grandfather's study and knocked on the door.

"Come in"

Maximus was in the room, reading some of the reports from his Laboratory in Sweden. When he looked up towards the door, he saw a boy he had never seen beside his grandson.

"Grandfather, this is Remus Lupin, Mother accidentally kidnapped him from Diagon Alley, and I need you to apparate him back to his father."

Maximus blinked his eyes, not knowing if his grandson was joking or not.

"You will need to bring him to Diagon Alley now while his father maybe around still. We just have to pray that his father have not gone to the Auror for help."

Maximus widened his eyes.

"You are not joking, are you?"

"No I am not. I think mother misunderstood the situation."

Maximus sighed and stood up.

"Mr Lupin, please take my hand. I will apparate you back to your father promptly."

Maximus put his wand out.

"Bring me with you."

Severus grabbed onto his grandfather too, thinking that having a boy may avert some serious situation. Maximus was first startled by Severus, but apparated the three of them directly to Diagon Alley. When they appeared at the Alley, Maximus turned towards the little stranger, and started his apology.

"I am very sorry about this, Mr Lupin. I hope we can find your father right away. Do you remember where you were?"

While he talked to the boy, Maximus finally noticed the scratches and bruises the little boy had.

"I was at the old bookstore. He may still be there somewhere."

The boy started to run towards the bookstore, and Severus followed him. When they reached the bookstore, he saw a man sitting by the alley hunched looking lost. The man resembled the adult version of Lupin, and unsurprisingly, Remus ran towards the figure. The man noticed the boy and stood up with relief on his face. Severus walked towards the two figures who were currently hugging each other.

"Hello sir, I am very sorry for the misunderstanding by my mother."

Severus spoke to the man. The man was surprised by suddenly having been spoken to by a child, but then thought on what Severus just said, and started to yell towards him.

"Your mother did this!? Tell her never to touch my son!"

The sudden loud voice of the man made Severus flinch, and made him take a few steps back from the men while covering his face. Severus berated himself for his own action and hated his failure to overcome this reaction as of yet. Lupin's father, on the other hand, noticed the boy's behavior and composed himself, feeling guilty for scaring a boy. Maximus also noticed this, and hurriedly stood in front of Severus.

"Mr. Lupin, I presume? My name is Maximus Prince. I am very sorry for my daughter's action. While I understand how upset you may be, I would appreciate if you would not yell at my grandson. He has done nothing wrong towards your son."

Lupin's father was startled by the sudden appearance of the stern looking old man, and cleared his throat.

"I am sorry for yelling at your grandson, but I hope you understand how worried I was to suddenly have my son kidnapped right in front of me."

"Yes, I can understand your worry and rage, and I am truly sorry for Eileen's action."

Severus intervened with a timid voice.

"I think my mother thought Remus was hurt by you, just like I was hurt before. She thought she was protecting Remus by getting him away from you."

Lupin's father widened his eyes with the implication.

"I will never hurt my son! I am his father, how can you say that!?"

The elder Lupin sputtered.

"I was hurt by my own father. She does not know you, and just saw Remus hurt."

Severus said looking at Lupin's father from behind Maximus. Maximus knew Severus was trying to calm Mr. Lupin, and make him understand the action of Eileen.

"We are not here to give any accusation. We just wanted to apologize for this incident. Would you like your boy to see my healer? I am sure he can cure those scratches and bruises in no time."

However, he saw Mr. Lupin's body stiffen, and saw fear in his eyes.

"No, that would not be necessary. Thank you for bringing my son back. I hope this would never happen again."

Lupin's father quickly turned around and hurried away dragging his son. Severus saw Lupin looking at him and raise the paper bag and mouthed thanks. Severus did not know why he had done the action he made next, but he ran towards Lupin.

"You can owl me if you want!"

Remus was surprised by this, and smiled and waved his hand at him. When Severus went back to his grandfather, Maximus raised one of his eyebrows questioningly.

"I knew him in the other life. He was in the same year."

"Those scratches?"

"Werewolf"

Maximus was shocked by Severus' word but then it answered the weird reaction Mr. Lupin had when he offered his healer.

"Poor boy. This gives me more incentive to work harder on the cure of lycanthropy. Maybe I can come up with it earlier this time around."

Maximus gazed at his grandson.

"You only need to ask, grandfather. I have made them enough times to memorize the entire recipe. However, it is too complicated for a regular person to brew and is not a cure. We should come up with something that can stop the transformation, or at least ease the pain of the transformation."

Maximus looked at his grandson and patted his shoulder.

"You are a very good man, Severus, and do not let anyone say otherwise."

Severus' cheek was pink with embarrassment.

"Let's hope your little friend will owl you back."

Maximus smirked.

"He is not my friend, grandfather."

"Of course he is not"

Maximus smiled to himself. When they went home, they noticed Eileen back in her shell. They explained the incident to Valeria who had become frantic about the sudden change in her daughter. Severus and Maximus sighed and hoped this relapse was just temporary.

It was three days later when an owl flew in for Severus. He was with Lily at the time, and Lily was excited to see an owl bring a letter. Severus showed Lily how to feed the owl with a treat and told the incident with the Lupins.

"Oh, that was an awful misunderstanding! I hope your mother and the Lupins are feeling better now."

Severus smiled at Lily, loving how she did not judge his mother for kidnapping a boy.

"Would you like to read the letter with me?"

Severus sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him.

"Are you sure you wouldn't mind? I won't mind if you just read them by yourself now."

Lily was still standing not knowing what to do.

"That's alright. You know that I will be telling you all later anyway, so we should just read it together."

Lily giggled and sat next to him on the sofa.

 _Dear Severus Prince._

 _I wanted to thank you of the scar remover and the pain potion you gave me. Both of the potions worked great! I haven't felt this great in my life! I also cannot believe how your salve was able to get most of my old scars removed. Thank you so so much! My father wanted to know where we could get more of these potions. He could not find them in any apothecary we knew._

 _I also wanted to say that I was really happy that you told me I could owl you. You can owl me any time too, or even come by our house since I am usually alone with my mother while father is out working. I hope you will at least owl me back. Do you like reading? Because that is what I usually do when I am alone._

 _Remus J. Lupin_

"This is so adorable! He also likes to read like us. Maybe we can invite him to one of our play day."

Lily was excited to find another magical child. Severus did not really want his days with Lily interrupted, but he also knew that having more kids the same age will be good for Lily and Lupin was not a bad addition.

"I can ask my grandfather to correspond with Mr. Lupin. I will also ask Remus if he would want to come to one of our Sunday play days."


	14. Chapter 14 The werewolf's visit

Lyall Lupin did not know how to respond to the sudden letter he got from Lord Prince. He knew the name of the wealthy Prince family and knew he had to tread carefully of the answer. His son looked so eager and hopeful when he asked him if he could meet the boy again bringing a letter from the Prince heir. Lyall had mixed feelings towards the Princes. The almost kidnapping of his son did not paint the Prince in any good light. However, the lady did seem to act on instinct to protect his injured son, and Lord Prince did bring his son back quickly with a sincere apology.

"What did the letter say that is giving you such a frown on your face?"

Hope Lupin came through the door towards her husband noticing his tension. She was worried about her husband since he rarely was this tense, and usually, it was related to their son.

"I got a letter from Lord Prince."

Lyall answered gravely.

Hope remembered that name. It was the person who was related to the lady who had 'kidnapped' her son the other day. She was shocked when her husband and her son told her about the incident when they came home. She was, however, grateful with the potions Remus had received from the Princes, which was the best scar remover they had ever seen. None of the previous scar removers was able to lessen the scratch mark inflicted by the werewolf, but this potion vanished all the small scratches within days. The remedy was even able to reduce the horrible bite mark Remus got from Grayback, and the Lupins were happy to see their son elated by this.

Also, the pain potion they gave was significantly better than the potion they bought from the apothecary. Her son looked pain-free, and he was never this healthy since he was bitten by that wretched werewolf.

"What does it say? Are we in some kind of trouble?"

"No. They have invited Remus to play with their son."

Hope blinked, not understanding her husband's worry. Lyall noticed his wife's questioning look and started to explain his concerns.

"Prince is a very well know pureblood family. As you already know, most purebloods believe werewolves to be just an animal with minimal rights. Most are scared and hateful of its existence. I am concerned about their reaction if they ever find out about Remus. They will definitely think that we deceived them intentionally to let their precious heir befriend a werewolf. The Princes certainly has the power and money to put Remus in Azkaban and destroy our lives if they find out about him."

"Oh.."

Hope was aware of the pureblood's disposition on werewolves. Her husband was like that when she met him. His discriminatory word had cost them dearly, and she knew how much Lyall had changed after their son was bitten by Greyback.

The monthly transformation of their son was a strain on the family. Hope and Lyall were now as scared as her son of the full moon. Of course, their little son was the one who went through the actual pain of the transformation, but it still hurt so much to hear the scream of their son during the transformation, and endure the cry of the beast that had replaced their beloved son all night long.

Lyall had so far been successful to keep their son from the werewolf list the Ministry had started to create. The Lupins were mostly worried about their son's chance in proper education. Remus was a bright boy, and Lyall was going to try his best in persuading the Headmaster of Hogwarts to have him enrolled to the school next year. He did not want to jeopardize Remus' future by acquainting with the pureblood Prince. If the rumor about Maximus Prince to be articulate and lethal was true, the head of Prince will surely notice his son's identity and destroy their family.

On the other hand, Lyall also knew that Remus needed friends of his own. Hope always stated her concern, but they were both scared of people from noticing their son's infliction. He felt guilty of confiding Remus, keeping him alone within their house with Hope and Lyall as his only company.

In the end, the fear for his son's identity to be exposed won over, and Lyall started to write a letter to decline the invitation from the Prince. He hoped Lord Prince will not take this refusal personally and will leave them alone.

While Lyall was writing his letter, Remus had finished his own letter to Severus, on how much he appreciated the invite. Although, he did add that he would need his father's permission, and was not sure if he would give them. Remus called their owl to give his response to Severus before his father responded to Severus' grandfather.

When Lyall finished writing his response, he noticed their owl missing.

"Remus, do you know where Hermes went? Did you use him, or is he just out for a hunt?"

"I asked him to bring my letter to Severus. He should be back after a couple of hours." Remus noticed a letter in his father's hand.

"Did you write a response to Lord Prince? Can I go and join their play day?"

The hopeful eyes of Remus broke Lyall's heart. Hope knew what her husband had written, and was as heartbroken as he was.

"Severus told me that he will introduce me to his best friend Lily, who is a muggle born girl. He said I can even join their tutoring session!"

Lyall was surprised by his son's word. It was rare for pureblood families to befriend people outside of their circle, especially a muggle born. He wondered how a pureblood like the Prince would meet a Muggle-born witch. Muggle-borns tended to empathize on werewolves since they did not harbor the deep hatred engraved within the years of teachings. Maybe he can allow Remus to go there this once, and Lyall can have more information about this Muggle-born who can become his son's friend. Hope certainly can befriend her parents being a muggle herself.

When he looked at Hope, she gave a hopeful look and nodded towards him to change his response. Lyall gave a nod and went back to his study.

"I hope this will not be the biggest mistake of our lives."

Lyall said when he noticed his wife enter the study.

"At least give Remus this one chance, Lyall. This would mean the world for him. We can tell him to befriend the muggle-born girl. If her parents are good people, we may have hope to influence their view towards werewolves."

Lyall ripped the letter he just wrote and drafted a new letter accepting the invitation this one time. After rethinking about the nature of the invitation, he concluded that this one-time invitation was probably made as an apology to Remus. He doubted the Princes would invite his son back again if they realized the Lupins were not as wealthy as their other friends. They can at least gain a Muggle-born friend for Remus through this invitation.

After he finished writing the letter, he and Hope told Remus that he can go to the Prince this one time.

Remus was overjoyed by his parent's decision and hugged his parents, thanking them repeatedly. Hope was glad that Lyall changed his mind and prayed they made the right decision for their son's future.

When Maximus received his letter from Mr. Lupin, he quickly told Severus about it. Severus was actually surprised that Lupin's father would allow his son to come to their house after that little kidnapping incident. That night, he told Lily of this news at their nightly firecall and was happy to see her excited face.

After the day they met the Lupins, Maximus and Severus had a long discussion on how to proceed with the cure of Lycanthropy. As much as Severus wanted to find an actual cure, Maximus pointed out that this would probably take years of experimentation, and that it was better to come up with the cure in stages. Maximus suggested they work on improving the current wolfsbane potion first, adding a healing property to ease the pain from the transformation, since it was imperative to have at least something which can help the werewolves until they can come up with a true cure.

Severus reluctantly agreed and wrote down the details of the Wolfsbane potion for Maximus. They were going to break down the properties and look them in details to see how they can insert the pain relieving property within the potion.

Severus actually never tried to study the potion itself in details, since he hardly had any time to tinker the already complicated potion during that year in Hogwarts. This was both a challenging and interesting study to both of the Princes, and they were able to make progress within a short amount of time.

The day of the visit from the Lupins was here before they knew it, and the short and stiff encounter at the gate with Lyall showed how much Remus' father felt towards the Princes. He did not even step inside the gate, and just said he would come and pick up Remus later in the evening.

Remus, on the other hand, was surprised and excited to see the vast manor from the outside. He did see the rooms the last time he was here and knew Princes were wealthy, but he didn't realize how vast the property was until today.

"Wow! Your house is so huge like a castle! I bet you probably own lots of house elves."

"I am not sure what you mean by lots, but we own five at the moment. Did you know that Hogwarts has more than a hundred of them living there? I would say that 'a lot.'"

"Really? I wish I could go there to study."

"Why? Are you not attending school? How old are you anyway? Lily and I are ten, so we are going to get our letters next year."

Severus knew why Remus was reluctant but thought it best to be blunt.

"I am ten as well, but my dad told me that we may move out of the country, so I am not sure if I can get a letter."

Remus smiled sadly. Severus thought it a good story since they can always lose their ties with anyone who may become suspicious.

"Lily should be here by now. Let me introduce you to her. She is a very nice person, and I know you would like her."

As Severus predicted, Lily was already waiting for them in the living room. Her face lit up when she saw them coming in.

"Sev!"

Lily quickly came close to them.

"Lily, this is Remus. Remus, this is Lily, my best friend."

"Hi, Remus. It's nice to finally meet you. I hope we can have fun together."

Lily smiled at Remus, and Remus shyly smiled back.

"It is nice to meet you too, Lily. I hope I am not intruding in your play day."

"Not at all! Sev told me that we will be trying out the broom today. Have you ever ridden on a broom?"

Remus shook his head.

"No, we don't have any children's broom, and my father doesn't like them much. He says it's faster to apparate and doesn't see the point. Anyway, my mom is a muggle, and she can't fly with me or react to any magical accident, so they never bothered buying any brooms."

"That's understandable. However, broom uses less magic than an apparition, so it is good to use when you are going for mid-distance. It will also leave no traces of magic, unlike apparition. And brooms can be also used within an anti-apparition field."

"Wow, I didn't know that."

Lily giggled to Remus' obvious fascination.

"Sev knows a lot of things. He likes to explain everything, so you should get used to his babbling."

Severus snorted.

"I didn't know you felt that way, Lily. I can stop explaining things if you want me to shut up."

"No, don't stop! I love your explanation Sev. You're sometimes better in explaining things than Mrs. Travers."

Lily smiled at him, and Severus was satisfied by her reply. Remus was amused by the two of them.

"So, are we riding the broom now?"

Remus asked.

"We have to wait for Mrs. Travers to arrive. She will be teaching us how to ride on the broom, and then will later read us the history of Hogwarts. We can sit here and play exploding snap while we wait if you like."

Remus could not but be excited by what Severus had just said. He couldn't wait to fly a broom and listen to the history. The three children played few rounds of exploding snap until they saw the floo activate and watched their tutor, Mrs. Travers come through.

"Hello Severus, Lily. I hope you are ready for fun. I see you have a new friend today. May I have your name, sir?"

Mrs. Travers smiled at Remus. She was a middle-aged woman in her late forties, who was a little overweight but had a motherly warmth in her voice and smile. She worked part-time at a daycare center for magical children in the weekdays and was actually the wife of one of the staff at the London Office Maximus owned. Mrs. Travers kindly volunteered to teach Severus and Lily every weekend when she heard from her husband that the Princes were looking for a reliable tutor.

"My name is Remus Lupin, ma'am"

Remus instantly liked the teacher and was eager for their session.

The three children followed Mrs. Travers outside to an open field, where they found three children's broom lying on the ground.

"Now, this is a children's broom so you will not be able to go up higher than ten feet. Lord Prince has also graciously put a cushioning charm upon these grounds, so you will not get hurt even if you fall off the broom."

Mrs. Travers was happy to see that the new boy was well mannered and patient as Severus and Lily. These two were one of her favorite charges among all of her students she had ever taught, and she enjoyed tutoring them. Both of them were eager to learn and Lily especially always asked questions. Severus was much quieter than the girl but was knowledgeable than any ten years old she had ever met. She actually thought that her materials may be too easy for the boy, but he never complained and always made sure Lily understood all the materials they went through.

"Now, please chose a broom and stand beside it."

The children obeyed excitedly.

"Put your hand over the broom, and say "Up." Try it until the broom will come to you. Don't worry if it won't come to you with your first try."

Severus was, of course, the first one to catch the broom with only one try. He looked at the others to see how they were doing. He saw Lily disappointed by the broom not responding with her first try and saw her try again and again. Severus went to her side after her fifth try where her face was red, starting to scrunch up to cry.

"You don't have to cry, Lily. Just loosen your shoulder, and feel your magic in your hand. Hover your hand over the broom, and imagine extending the magic towards the broom. Imagine the broom rising into your hand when you say the word "UP" The most important thing is to believe in your magic, Lily."

Severus smiled at her. Lily nodded and drew a large breath, then tried to imagine what Severus just said. She closed her eyes and tried to feel her magic, and imagined her magic connecting with the broom below.

"Up!"

She felt something slap into her hand, and when she opened her eyes she was holding up the broom. Lily grinned from ear to ear.

"I did it! Thank you, Sev!"

Remus was having as much trouble as Lily and had listened in on the instruction Severus gave Lily. He also closed his eyes and tried to feel his own magic. He opened his eyes before shouting "Up!" and saw the broom successfully jumping up to his hand.

"I did it too! You're a great teacher Severus!"

Mrs. Travers too was impressed by Severus' instruction. She never thought of explaining the magic that way.

"Well, I am just reciting what my grandfather told me."

Severus lied and shrugged, but could feel his face heat up. He was not used to being in the receiving end of admiration and praise. Severus was used to Lily openly saying things like that, but he knew she was like this to everybody, appreciating the best quality of everyone around her.

Remus on the other hand, was much more level-headed if he remembered correctly. He never saw him praise and worship Potter or Black, but then the Remus in front of him was only ten years old. He concluded that all children are impressionable, and shouldn't take their word seriously.

The flying session went smoothly, and Mrs. Travers was expecting the children to sleep or lose their interest for their latter half of the session. However, to her delighted surprise, all the three were eagerly listening to her reading Hogwarts, A History. The tutor left the premise with a smile on her face, and the children were still chatting about what they just learned. Overall, the tutor session was a success, and Severus was happy to see that Lily was enjoying today's lessons a lot more than the other sessions they had been having.

"I hope she will read to us again. The history book is so thick with lots of difficult words for me to read it on my own."

Lily was looking through "Hogwarts, A History."

"I am sure you will be able to read it in time, Lily."

Severus encouraged Lily.

"You can bring it home if you want. I think we will need to read them through anyway when we start Hogwarts."

Lily seemed happy to have the book but noticed Remus looking at the book with interest.

"Remus, do you want to bring the book home first instead? I can read them later, I don't mind. I still have other books Sev lent me."

"Oh, no! Severus lend them to you, I won't even know if I can give them back that soon since the book looks so thick."

Severus eyed the both of them and then stood up to fetch another copy of the book he knew they had in the Library. He came back with another copy in his hand and handed it to Remus.

"Here, this is an older edition, but the contents are the same. Now you can both bring them home."

Remus looked at the book in wonder and thanked Severus for lending the book.

"Actually, why don't you both just keep them. I just found out that we had five copies of this same book, I doubt my grandfather would mind me giving some away. I think my ancestors just kept on buying the same book over and over again whenever someone started Hogwarts."

Severus said with an exasperated look. He definitely will not buy any unnecessary books when he was going to start Hogwarts. He did well enough with his mother's old textbooks the first time around and was planning to do the same since he only needed them for show this time around. Remus and Lily laughed by his words and thanked him for the book.

"I think we still have some time before your father comes and pick you up. Would you be interested in making a potion? Lily and I have been making intermediate potions for some time now."

"I've never made any potion in my life."

Remus said truthfully.

"My father isn't that good with potions, so we usually just buy them from the apothecary. He told me potions are not a strong suit in our family, so I am not sure if I can make them well."

Lily smiled at Remus.

"Don't worry Remus, I was like that when I made my first potion. Severus is really a great teacher, so I am sure he will be able to teach you the basics."

Remus looked at Severus with admiration.

"You know potions that much? Wow, that's really impressive."

"Princes are known for our potions skills, and my grandfather is a well-respected Potion Master. He teaches me a lot about this subject. I was given permission to use the Lab whenever I wanted to as long as we make the potion from the List he made."

Of course, the list was created by Severus himself to show to Valeria and Lily. Severus remembered that Remus had been an average student in potions, and wasn't sure why since Remus was a bright student, who even became a Prefect. Maybe this notion of the Lupins being weak in potion had held him down.

"We can make the intermediate bloating potion today. Lily made it once a while ago, but I think we can all benefit from this potion since it requires all the basic cutting technique and necessary stirring technique."

This bloating potion was actually one Severus had created for his first-year students when he became the Potion Professor. However, he was denied by the Hogwarts board to put them in his curriculum nor use it in his detention since the potion was not legally approved, so he never had the chance to use it at all. When Maximus found it on Severus' notes, he instantly fell in love with the potion and went on to process its approval. Maximus was actually working with his lawyer to have this potion included in all the basic Potion Textbook and was getting positive responses throughout the community.

The elder Prince was also working to have most of Severus' potion approved and distributed legally. Ideally, Maximus would have wanted all the potions patented in the rightful name of Severus Prince, or even Caius Corvo, but Severus opposed to this idea emphasizing on the importance of Caius' anonymity. Maximus reluctantly agreed and published many of the potions through the name of his other employees including himself. The Prince' lawyer and Prince' staff were all surprised by the sudden increase with all the new inventions from his Lab, but Maximus made sure they were all published with enough intervals as to not get any attention by the potion community. Maximus also started with Severus' improved potions rather than the more creative invention as to not draw any suspicion. However, for all of Severus creation, he made sure that part of the profit went directly into Severus' Vaults which he had secretly created.

Just as Severus had suspected, Remus was not bad with potions as Remus imagined himself to be. Severus patiently demonstrated all the cutting techniques and reassured Remus of his work. Lily helped immensely with the encouragement.

"Hey, you are really good, Remus! I wasn't this good my first time! I had difficulty in cutting the stems equally. You should tell your dad about this, you know. I am sure he will be happy to know that all Lupins aren't bad with potions!"

Remus shyly thanked both of them for their encouragement and help.

"I think I am enjoying this more than I thought I would. I thought potions was this really difficult and boring subject from how my dad described. But I actually don't mind chopping things and stirring things. It's a little bit like cooking."

"Oh-oh, Remus, you just said the c-word!"

"What? what did I say?"

Remus looked at Severus and saw the scowl on his face.

"Potion is nothing like cooking! It is a lot more complicated and fascinating if you understand the intricacies of all the magic connecting the ingredients and producing the result! You can brew anything with potions, from cures to even boost luck! It's the most interesting subject among all"

Severus ranted, and Remus was a little scared of Severus not knowing how much he had offended the boy. Lily couldn't keep but laugh out loud.

"Oh my god, your face! Remus! Don't worry about Sev. He isn't really mad or anything. I am sure it's only the Princes who think so highly of potions. I for one agree with you."

Lily said between her laughs. Remus weakly smiled with relief.

"Well, it's not cooking!"

Severus crossed his arms and said it sternly, but then he couldn't stop his lips to curve up, looking at the delighted look of Lily.

"As long as you two will not try to become a potions master, then I guess it's fine by me."

He chuckled which eased Remus and gave him the courage to talk again.

"Are you going to be a potions master? I heard that it's very difficult to become one."

"Of course he is. He loves potions, Remus. It's like, he lives for potions!"

Lily answered instead.

"Lord Prince owns a Potion Lab, so I think Sev will be working there when he grows up, right, Sev?"

Severus shrugged.

"I don't know. I'll need to get my master's degree first. But it will be nice to work there and invent potions."

Severus thought this was a good time to drop a bomb on Remus.

"Can you both keep a secret?"

Severus whispered, and Lily and Remus were startled by the sudden change in tone.

"My grandfather is actually working on this really difficult potion that will help people who are infected by Lycanthropy."

Remus froze by his word, but Lily asked the obvious question of a ten-year-old.

"Whats Lyca-Lyca something-y?"

"It's "Lycanthropy" and it's a sickness that causes people to become a werewolf every month."

"Werewolf is real!?"

Lily was surprised and amazed by his word, but he could see Remus pale in contrast.

"Yes, its real, and the sad thing is that these people lose themselves when they are in their werewolf form and become dangerous to people around them. Anyway, my grandfather thinks that he can come up with a potion that can let these people retain their mind, so they won't be dangerous."

Severus continued,

"When I grow up, I want to make potions like what my grandfather is making and cure people with different diseases."

Severus smiled at himself for nicely concluding his story. He hoped the Lupins will talk to his grandfather.

"That's a wonderful goal, Sev! And your grandfather is brilliant! Is he coming up with this potion soon?"

Lily asked the questions Severus knew Remus would want the answer to.

"I don't know, I am not supposed to tell because it's a secret project of his. But I think it's soon, and I hope he can get the Order of Merlin for this invention."

Severus said proudly. He also added more information for Remus' benefit.

"I think he is having a little problem finding people with Lycanthropy to be his test subject. My grandfather said that many magical people treat them very badly so they are usually in hiding."

He then glanced at Remus and could tell that the boy was shaken by what he had just said.

"Why do people treat them badly? It isn't their fault that they have the sickness, right? I hope your grandfather can find them and help them as soon as they can."

Severus smiled at Lily's emphatical nature. Remus also calmed a little when he heard Lily's words. They continued talking about other potions while finishing up the bloating potion.

"Well, I think we all did great with today's potion."

Severus complemented the two children.

"Here, you can bring some back home if you want." Severus gave a vial to Remus.

"Bloating potion doesn't do much but bloat stuff. But you should save your very first potion. Lily did with hers, I also have mine."

Severus smiled at the confused looking Remus. The boy understood instantly and happily filled the vials with his very first potion. That was when they heard the swishing of the floo and noticed Maximus come out from the floo in the Lab.

"Well, hello children. Are you having a good time brewing?"

Maximus smiled at all of them. Lily was the first to answer.

"Is it true that you are going to cure the werewolves?"

Maximus arched one of his eyebrows looking at his grandson.

"I see my grandson had babbled something he had sworn to keep a secret."

Severus tried to act contrite but Lily was the one who spoke first, defending Severus.

"You shouldn't scold him! We swear we will keep it a secret!"

"Well, I am not really angry. This will become no secret soon. We are very close to coming up with the final formula, and have already started to collect volunteers for testing."

Maximus smiled at the children. Remus surprisingly asked a question.

"Did you find enough volunteers, sir?"

"Well, not as much as I would have hoped, but enough to start the testing."

"Are you still looking for volunteers?"

"Yes, our Lab is going to post an advertisement on the Daily Prophet tomorrow, so hopefully we can have some more people to test with."

Maximus explained truthfully. The Lab had contacted the Daily Prophet yesterday to post the ad that will be on tomorrow's issue. He hoped Lyall Lupin will notice the advertisement and contact them. Remus did not ask more questions, and the children went to the living room to play some more.

When it was time for Remus to go back home, they all went towards the gate to wait for Lyall to arrive. When Lyall came by, he saw Lily and smiled at the girl. He offered to apparate the girl back home, but Lily declined since her mother was expecting her home through the floo. Severus noticed the disappointed look on Lyall and wondered what that was about. Lyall then put a clearly forced smiled on his face and thanked the Princes for the invitation again and apparated out of the premise. The Princes joined the Evans for dinner that night, and Lily chatted animatedly about their day to her parents. Severus also added some comments in and was content with the outcome of the day.


	15. Chapter 15 Decision

When the Lyall and Remus went back home, Remus showed his first potion to his parents, which delighted Hope, and astonished Lyall to no end. Lyall and Hope thought that play day was really just children playing in the gardens or such, so they were pleasantly surprised to hear about the actual lessons Remus had taken with Severus and Lily.

They were happy for their son who had a very productive day, and were marveled by the book his son was gifted. Lyall actually felt guilty for being a little rude to the Princes who had clearly made his son happy. However, there was a little pause and hesitation in the tale Remus was describing, which concerned Lyall.

"What is it? Did something happen at the Princes?"

Lyall asked Remus but his son shook his head and continued his tale.

"Nothing, just that after making the potion, we played some muggle board game Lily brought. They told me that I can join them again if I wanted to. Can I join them again, father?"

The pleading eyes of his son broke his heart, but Lyall had already decided to accept the offer this one time.

"I don't think it will be a good idea to accept more invitation from the Princes. We will be taking too much advantage of them."

Remus' face fell and Lyall felt bad for his son.

"We can maybe invite your muggle-born friend here if you want?"

Hope suggested Remus.

"You mean I can invite Lily? Can I also invite Severus? I like them both."

Lyall and Hope saw the hopeful eyes of his son and then looked at each other on what to do next. Lyall didn't think it was a good idea to associate with the Princes, but he did not know how to explain that to his ten-year-old son. Lyall tried to choose his words carefully.

"I understand you want to be friends with the Prince heir. But you have to know that people like them are not nice to people like us. I don't want them to expose you of what you are, Remus. And believe me, when I say, they will. People like them can destroy our lives."

Remus shook his head.

"You are wrong, father. I don't think they are like that. Anyway, I can't be friends with just Lily. The two of them are best friends. If I only invite Lily, Severus will know, and I don't want him to think that I don't like him."

Hope was surprised to see her son challenge Lyall. Her little boy usually just accepted whatever they said. Remus ran to his room and shut the door, clearly upset with them.

"Is it such a bad thing to invite the two children? Lord Prince will not be with them, so I doubt they will find out about Remus' condition."

"You know we cannot risk that, Hope. I was hoping to meet the parent of the muggle-born girl, but they seemed to have their floo connected with the Prince. If those muggles are close to the Prince, maybe it is not a good idea to associate with them. Anyway, this was the first outing he had. I am sure he can get over this. We just need to create some distraction for Remus to not think about those children."

Hope was doubtful of what her husband just said. She couldn't think of any distraction that can bring the same bright smile her son just gave her when he arrived home.

"Maybe you need to give the Princes more credit, love. They might not be as narrow-minded as the others. Remus sure thinks highly of them."

"We can't take that chance, Hope. If we are wrong, we will lose our son!"

Lyall hated looking at his wife's crestfallen face. His wife did not quite understand how the rich purebloods behaved in the Magical world. He hoped his wife and son will get over this and accept that Remus could not be friends with a Prince.

Remus was hurt by his father denying him his new friends. Surely, Severus and his grandfather cannot be that bad if they are talking about a way to make werewolves better. Remus wanted to try the potion badly but knew his father will not believe him unless he sees the advertisement on the Daily Prophet. So he kept this information to himself for now until he could show the actual ad tomorrow.

The next day, Remus grabbed the Daily Prophet to find the advertisement, and sure enough, found the ad in the Wanted section of the prophet. He tried to read the advertisement himself but was not able to understand some of the words, so he went to get a dictionary. Remus sat by the kitchen table and set the Prophet and the dictionary in front of him with determination on his face.

That was what Hope saw when she woke up to prepare breakfast. Remus was intently trying to decipher something on the paper, and she was amused by his action. She wondered what could catch her son's attention this much.

"What are you reading, sweetheart?"

Hope smiled while she started the breakfast preparation.

"There is an ad I want father to look at."

This made Hope very curious.

"Do you want me to help you with the reading? I can help you after I finish making your breakfast."

Hope saw Remus shake his head.

"It's okay, mother. I want to know exactly what it says on my own."

The determined look on her son was so adorable, that it kept her smiling and humming the whole time she cooked. Her little boy was growing up on his own.

During that same time in Prince Manor, Severus was also reading the prophet at their dining table. When Valeria first saw her grandson read the paper a year ago, she was not sure what to make of it. Surely, a nine-year-old will not understand the issue, especially the government section he was intently reading on. She thought he was just trying to pretend to be an adult, so she just left him be.

Now it has become a routine, and Valeria was still not sure what the little boy was reading but thought it quite adorable so she just accepted his ploy. At first, Severus had been giving up his paper whenever he saw Maximus come in for breakfast. However, Maximus had at one point started to order another issue for himself so that his grandson could keep his own issue. Valeria was amused when that started, but she was secretly enjoying looking at the two male Princes following the same routine, drinking a cup of tea while reading the Daily Prophet together.

"Your advertisement is out, grandfather."

"What advertisement are you talking about?"

Valeria asked.

"It is the advertisement to recruit werewolves to test my new potion. This is the potion I have been talking about which Caius' ideas gave me the inspiration to progress. We think it can be ready by the end of this month, and wanted to have the testing done right away."

Maximus answered bringing the paper down to face his wife.

"Oh, that is great news! When you succeed, you should bring Caius here for dinner!"

Severus' eyes widened. That is not a good idea at all.

"I will ask him and let you know of his answer."

Maximus answered diplomatically and returned to his reading.

It took Remus a good thirty minutes to understand all the words in the advertisement. In short, the ad said that the Lab will be starting their first (preliminary) test next month, and wanted a werewolf volunteer (Willing participant with Lycanthropy) from age six to sixty to try the new potion.

"Breakfast is ready, Remus. Could you clear the table for now and call your father?"

Remus put away the dictionary, but folded the paper with the page of the advertisement on top and put it by his father's plate so Lyall could see the ad while they were having breakfast. He then quickly left his seat to call his father.

"Father, breakfast is ready!"

"I will be there in a moment!"

Remus went back to his seat, eager for his father to arrive. Hope saw her son's giddiness and wondered what the paper was about.

"So, what have you been reading, Remus?"

Hope asked curiously while putting a plate full of eggs, sausages, and bread on the table.

"I want to try that potion."

Remus said sternly, pointing at the paper. Hope blinked, not understanding what her son was on about, and glanced at the Daily Prophet finding an area boxed with a red marker. She read the advertisement and her eyes grew wide with the implication.

"Oh, my, is this real?!" She looked back at her son and saw him with hopeful eyes.

"What is real?"

Lyall came in, puzzled by his wife's outburst. Hope saw her husband and quietly handed him the paper. Lyall noticed the same advertisement and shouted in surprise.

"This is unheard of! This would be a miracle if it was true, but we need to find out more about this potion before registering for the trial!"

This new potion for werewolves caught Lyall's interest instantly. Everyone in the Magical Community knew of The Potion Research Laboratory in Sweden, so this testing should be genuine if it was backed by the Lab. However, he had to inquire about the anonymity of the test subject first, especially on whether their private information would be disclosed or not. He did not want his son to be on the werewolf list in the UK and hoped Sweden would not have too much restriction on werewolves.

"I will inquire directly to the head of the research Lab right after breakfast. Let us wait for their reply before volunteering for any tests."

Remus nodded and smiled, satisfied that his father was going to write to Severus' grandfather.

"So, you think this may be genuine?"

Hope asked with so much hope in her voice, that Lyall could not but recall their past attempts in looking for their son's cure. They had failed repeatedly in finding anything that gave even a little relief to their son's condition. In fact, the scar remover and the pain potion from the Princes were their first encounter to a positive result that actually helped their son.

"Well, this Research Laboratory is definitely a renowned institution in our Magical community. I just hope their testing will prove a success."

Lyall gave a weak smile, knowing this was all the reassurance he could give his wife. Hope nodded, understanding her husband.

Maximus received the letter from Lyall Lupin that afternoon through his Lab. He wrote a reply, assuring Lyall of the anonymity, and offered to even make a vow of secrecy within all the participating researchers. He also explained all the details of the effect of the potion and the schedule of the test. He added his gratitude for the inquiry and wrote that they would be looking forward to his reply. Maximus hoped Lyall would let his son participate in the testing for the boy's sake.

Severus and Maximus were now confident with the altered potion they had come up with. However, Severus was still tinkering the potion trying to find an easier way to brew, since the potion was still very complicated for a regular person to create. Maximus smiled remembering the frustrated face of his grandson. Last time he went by the lab, he saw the small figure of his grandson buried within all the books, pouring over the properties of the ingredients. Severus was definitely a researcher who could easily lose himself, so Maximus had made sure to remind his grandson that he was too small to push himself.

It was a wonder how they have managed to keep his identity a secret from the rest of the family, especially from Valeria. When he started to order another copy of the Daily Prophet, he undoubtedly thought Valeria would pry out why he was giving a copy to a nine-year-old. That was why Maximus had even come up with an excuse that he wanted to have an extra copy to bring to his Lab in Sweden. However, Valeria never asked and accepted as one of the peculiarities of her grandson. Severus also told Maximus that he was already reading at a fourth-year level at the time, and Eileen would not suspect anything.

Maximus realized that Severus had indeed been a child prodigy even his first time around, but was not noticed much during his student years. Eileen had not exaggerated Severus' ability when she first explained about her son. Severus did say that he had always had perfect marks on all of his written tests, but at the same time was deducted a lot of points because he was often in trouble by bullies (this, he disclosed very reluctantly) during the practicals. This made him an above average student, and he hated all the professors and the students for it a the time.

Next day, when Lyall opened the reply from the Potion Research Laboratory and read the content, he was satisfied by their procedure and felt hope until he saw the name of the Head of Potion Research Laboratory and paled. He reread the name again, but it said the same name, Maximus Prince. He had inadvertently disclosed his son's identity to Lord Prince and was shocked by his carelessness. Lyall became scared of the repercussion and started to panic. Remus noticed his father's terrified face and became frightened as well.

"Father, what happened!? Did they not want me!?"

Lyall turned to his son and was hurt to see his son's disheartened face.

"I am so sorry Remus, I have made a grave mistake writing to the Laboratory."

Remus didn't know what was happening and started to panic.

"Why? Did Lord Prince not want me!? I thought the test is for six years old and above!"

Lyall was shocked by what Remus just said.

"What did you just say?! Did you know that Lord Prince was doing this experiment?"

Remus nodded slowly, not knowing why his father was acting panicked.

"Why did you not stop me then!? I have given your identity away by inquiring about the potion! I am so sorry Remus, I have been trying so hard to hide you from the Ministry, but the Princes may disclose the information and put you on that horrible list."

Lyall sat down on the chair dejectedly.

"You should have told me who was in charge, Remus. If only I haven't sent that letter."

Lyall covered his face with both of his hand and sobbed quietly. He had failed his son, and his son will pay the price again.

"Wait, so Lord Prince didn't reject me? Can I try the potion then?"

Remus asked his father, not knowing why his father was crying.

"Remus, did you not hear what I just said? They will ruin you before you can do your test!"

"Why do you say that? Did Lord Prince say that in his letter? Are they going to the Ministry?"

Remus wanted to understand more about the situation.

"No, he did not write anything in the letter but the procedure of the test and the schedule. I just think he will react badly when he realizes who wrote the letter, and think we deceived him."

Remus did not understand what his father was worried about.

"If I am allowed to do the test, then I want to take the potion, father. I don't know how Severus may react to me being a werewolf, but his grandfather invented the potion! Surely he wouldn't be that bad? Maybe you should ask Lord Prince first whether he will tell the Ministry or not."

"What's happening here?"

Hope entered the house with fresh vegetables in her bag. She was out in the garden so she did not hear the conversation between her husband and her son. She was, however, very concerned when she saw the wet face of her husband. Something terrible must have happened for her husband to break down in front of Remus.

Lyall reluctantly explained their conversation and covered his face with his hand.

"I am so sorry, I have failed you both."

Hope frowned.

"Let me read the letter."

She took the letter written by Maximus and read the content carefully. She then looked at Lyall and spoke slowly.

"I think you are being too quick to judge and is jumping into conclusion without understanding this letter."

Lyall raised his head to look at his wife.

"Lord Prince have informed us about the procedure in details. He is trying to assure us of the safety of Remus. The letter does not seem angry or judgemental in any way. I think Remus is correct. You should write a letter and ask him directly about your concern about the Ministry before denying everything."

Lyall agreed of what his wife had just said. He shouldn't have jumped to a conclusion as of yet. Maybe he could ask that vow before the Prince will consider going to the Ministry.

"You are right, Hope. I should write him and ask him first."

Lyall did not want to take any chances with the Princes, so he wrote a letter of sincere apology and pleaded for secrecy right away. He hoped Lord Prince would be understanding of Remus' situation, and prayed they haven't informed the Ministry yet.

When Maximus read the response from Lyall, he was perplexed with its content being just apology and request of secrecy and not a response on participation. Severus snorted when he read the letter.

"What does he think we are, the Malfoys or the Blacks? If we were like them, we would have never invited his son to our Manor. First of all, we would've never apologized, and would probably just pay them off to pacify the situation if need be. Lupin's father must be stupid than his ten-year-old son. I think I will write Remus directly to reassure him of his place in the test, and our standing on werewolves. I do not trust his father to explain the situation correctly."

Severus went to his room to draft a short letter to Remus.

Maximus chuckled to himself.

"Not friends indeed."

Remus was restless, not being able to sleep. He was worried about the response Lord Prince will give them. His father stressed on to not put too much hope, but he really wanted to try that potion. His father kept on apologizing to Remus, and that made him scared. Although his mother had told him not to worry too much, he couldn't stop worrying.

That was when he heard a knock on his window. There was a familiar owl perched by the window with a letter attached to its leg. He took the letter from the owl and opened the letter.

 _Dear Remus Lupin._

 _I have heard from grandfather that your father had written him an inquiry about the new werewolf potion. I would just like to inform you that your name is now listed as one of our possible test subjects. We hope you will show up on the scheduled date. Need not worry, I will be there too to help my grandfather. I am supposed to ease the children with my presence. Try and persuade your dunderhead father to bring you to the test and tell him that we are in no way informing the Ministry of Magic. Their policy is atrocious and we will be having this test in Sweden anyway._

 _Severus Prince._

 _PS You should inform Lily about your condition so that I can ask her to join us too_

Remus had to use a dictionary for some of the words, but he was able to understand what Severus wrote. Relief spread through, and he was asleep before he knew it.

Next day, Lyall got a short letter from Maximus stating politely that he should consider having Remus participate in the test. He wrote Lyall to not worry about anything and that he would be looking forward to seeing them at the office on the day of the testing, and gave the floo address. Lyall was not sure what to think of this, but then he saw his son coming to the kitchen with a wide grin.

"Good morning, father! I got a letter from Severus yesterday night saying that I am on their list! Can I go now, then? He also said they are not going to tell the Ministry!"

"Is that so? Are you sure about that?"

"Yes! You have to let me go! I want to go! This potion is supposed to lessen the pain and keep my mind, right?"

Remus pleaded his case, hoping his father will bring him to Sweden.

"Are you sure? I don't know if we should trust them. They are purebloods after all."

"Aren't you also a pureblood?"

Lyall's face paled by his son's word. He himself as a pureblood thought werewolves to be an animal not worth to save. He was one of the members who wanted to annihilate and kill anyone who had Lycanthropy, and his statement had angered Greyback who had damned his own boy.

Lyall was horrified of the consequences of his action and finally understood how hard a life of a werewolf was through his son's monthly transformation. His son was not aware that it was Lyall's action and words that condemned him to a cursed life. If his boy wanted to try this cure, shouldn't he help him? It was his fault that his little boy was going through the suffering. He had no right to deprive his son of this miraculous chance. He should do everything in his power including groveling to these wealthy purebloods for a slim chance to help his son. With new determination in heart, he finally faced towards his son.

"Yes I am, that is why I cannot trust other purebloods. However, this is a chance we should not pass, so I will bring you to Sweden on the day of the Scheduled day"

Remus rushed and hugged his father tightly.

"Thank you! Father! I'll write to Severus and Lily about this!"

Hope smiled looking at their interaction. She kept her mouth shut during the whole ordeal since she knew Lyall needed to sort this out on his own. She may have intervened if her husband had rejected Remus' wish in testing the potion, but was relieved when her husband promised to bring their son to Sweden. She sincerely hoped this potion would help her son, and make his life easier.

Remus was so happy for the approval by his father, and could not wait to try the potion. He then remembered the last sentence Severus wrote about telling Lily. He only met Severus twice and corresponded a few times, but something in him told to trust his new friend. Lily did seem to not be afraid of werewolves when they last talked about them, and it would be nice to have both of them on the day of the testing. Making up his mind, Remus wrote a letter to Lily confessing his condition and wrote another letter to Severus that he could bring Lily along.


	16. Chapter 16 Temporary Cure

Severus and Maximus were able to strengthen the effect of the potion when they altered and added the properties to reduce the pain from the transformation. However, they weres not sure of the exact strength, so both of the Princes agreed to create five groups to observe the effect. One group will start to take the Wolfsbane potion a week prior to the full moon as the original wolfsbane potion needed, and the other four groups will take a day later each. The worst thing that could happen would be that the group with the least amount of potion may lose their mind sometime before they transform back into human form.

A week before the Full moon, Maximus gathered all the participant, explaining the procedure of the Test, and explaining how the potion was going to work. Severus and Lily met Remus to give encouragement and wish him luck, though the true testing would happen on the full moon. There were more than 30 participants, and they made sure all the groups consisted of people from various age groups.

Remus was in the group which would be taking the potion five days prior to the full moon. Maximus explained the importance to take the potion as instructed and had the first group drink the potion in front of everybody.

The potion itself was not as bad as the previous version, but still, it was not a pleasant concoction. Everyone including those who did not drink the potion made a face from the foul smell the liquid was emitting, Maximus told everyone to come back to the Lab at their scheduled time to drink the potion and have a quick check up. This coming full moon, the participants will all come back to the Laboratory and be put in a secured room individually. Maximus, Severus (as Caius) and other three researchers will be assigned a group to observe the individual reaction of each of their participants.

Maximus and Severus was pleased to find that all the volunteers were coming in everyday for the potion. Severus tried to be there whenever Remus came by, since he knew this procedure may intimidate a ten year old. The Lupin's were both there to support their son.

Remus had a hard time drinking the awful concoction, but the glimmer of hope for a better transformation kept him to go back to the lab for the rest of his dose. Lord Prince had told them that the potion would retain his mind during the transformation, and even reduce the horrible pain. Remus and his parents sincerely hoped this potion would work.

When the day of the Full moon came, Severus and Maximus could not hide their anticipation. Valeria noticed her grandson being as restless as her husband and smiled.

"Severus, I know you are worried about your friend, but we cannot permit you to go to the Lab at night."

"I know, grandmother. I think I will just go to bed early and write a letter in the early morning."

Severus quickly went to his bedroom and closed the door. He brought his wand out and transfigured a book into his body, and put a disillusionment charm to look as if it were breathing. He put the body on his bed and covered it with his comforter. He then put a notice me not charm on himself and quietly left his room to his grandfather's study and waited for Maximus.

When Maximus came into his study a little later, he was startled by the sudden voice of his grandson.

"Grandfather, we should go soon and wait for the participants, since Sweden is an hour earlier."

Severus suddenly appeared from an empty room.

"Severus! I thought you will be coming a little later. I see you are anxious about today's outcome. I understand. I am nervous as well."

"Why don't we go then? I will not be surprised if every one of the participants has arrived early."

Maximus smiled inwardly at his grandson's impatience. Sometimes, he could see the little boy his grandson was supposed to be, like in this instance. This warmed his heart because his grandson was not pretending and was being himself in front of Maximus.

"Indeed. Let me put on your disguise first, then we can floo to the Lab."

The two Princes flooed to the Laboratory and went to the room where the participants were to arrive. Sure enough, there were already some members waiting in the room.

The other researchers were all also there, handing out some drinks and snacks trying to calm the nerves of the werewolves.

Both of the Princes knew this would be a life-altering experience for those inflicted by Lycanthropy and would bring an impact on the whole Magical Community.

Severus had already met all the researchers in the Lab in both of his forms but tried to stay away from any social events when he was Caius. He nodded to his colleagues in acknowledgment and followed Maximus to the holding rooms to check its security.

"We would each monitor the group we are responsible for using the monitoring charm and through the window. All the doors and windows are charmed to prevent destruction and hold the werewolves within, but try not to get too close to your charge, in case of failure"

Maximus instructed the other three researchers to start guiding the werewolves to each respective rooms. Severus was in charge of the group which Remus belonged and made sure that the boy was comfortable being away alone from his parents.

When the full moon rose, they could hear the moans from the werewolves and detect the changes in their body through the monitoring charm. When they peeked through each window, they found all the werewolves looking about, acting like a human. Maximus channeled his voice to all the rooms asking if they could understand him, and delightedly, every werewolf nodded.

Remus was frightened for the moon to rise, knowing the blinding pain that would follow with nothingness until the morning. However, when he noticed his body change, there was no excruciating pain, but an uncomfortable feeling of his bone changing. He moaned, not liking the feeling of his bones pulled and jolted by a force. Then he felt the transformation finally end, and for the first time in his life, saw his hairy hand.

"Huh."

Was his first thought. He did become an animal after all. Then he looked around the room and noticed his senses were a lot stronger than his human form. His vision was crispier and noticed some objects covered with an aura. He could also smell everything in the room, and from the outside. He found a small window in the room and noticed someone peeking through.

It should be the man who was in charge of their group. However, he saw a small boy with a very bright magic swirling around him. He couldn't quite make out his face because of the brightness of his magic but was astonished by its intensity.

"The light I am seeing must be magic."

He looked at his hand again, and also noticed himself surrounded by magic. Not as bright as the other boy, but enough to know he was a wizard.

He then heard the voice of Mr. Prince through the walls and tried to speak, but could only emit a growl. So he nodded instead to let the person outside know he understood the words. The view through his werewolf form was a revelation in itself, and for the first time in his life, Remus did not mind being a werewolf.

Many of the other werewolves were having somewhat similar experience, and most of them fell asleep eventually after their initial excitement. It was a fairly slow and quiet procedure for the researcher to observe their charges during the night. However, the unpleasant changes came a few hours before sunrise. The group who took the least potion started to growl, and its actions became of a beast. The children, on the other hand, did not change much until an hour before the sunrise. There were also changes to the next group, where the adults lost their minds to the beast, but the children never changed. The rest of the three groups were perfectly calm. Maximus concluded that adults would need to take the potion five days prior, and children under come of age would need to take them four days prior to the full moon.

When everyone was back to their human form in the morning, Maximus advised them to get some rest in the same room they occupied. The Lab team entered each room to make sure they were all comfortable and repaired all the damages that were done by the werewolf who lost their mind. They told all of them to feel free to eat or drink the food that was set up in one of the rooms and said the researchers will all be back to take an interview after the participants took their needed rest.

The interview was executed at around noon, and all the werewolves were eager to speak about their experiences. The team noticed in the changes of their demeanor too. Before the test, the group of werewolves did not interact much, being fearful and anxious about the testing. However, after the test, they saw many of the werewolves talking with each other animatedly, being happy for their first time after inflicted by the curse.

Lyall, Hope and other parents who had their child as a volunteer stayed at a close by hotel and came to check on their children first thing in the morning. They stayed with their child during the interview and was grateful for the success in the potion.

What the werewolves appreciated the most was the absence of the pain. Even those who had lost their mind at the end of the testing were bewildered by the lack of pain and illness they usually experienced the following few days. They could not believe that they were out and about as if nothing had happened at night. The werewolves who lost their mind still got scratches on their body but was again astounded when they were tended by the new scar remover which worked miracles on their werewolf inflicted scars.

Maximus was uncomfortable of the praises and gratitude he was getting.

"I feel like an imposter. You should be the one getting this attention, Severus."

"That is not true. I am assuming the first wolfsbane potion was invented by your future self since I doubt Damocles Belby had truly invented this complicated potion."

"Damocles Belby? Why have I heard of that name? Oh, yes, I think he is one of our new potioneer we've contracted with. I believe he is quite a bright young man." Severus snorted.

"Now, I am absolutely sure that this was your creation, grandfather. Damocles' only known creation was this wolfsbane potion. His other works were not creative at all, but I know that you are. Who else would have come up with this innovative potion?"

This praise from Severus had touched Maximus' heart deeply. He was honored that his brilliant grandson appreciated his talent.

The wolfsbane potion became the sensation within the Magical World. As Severus had predicted, Maximus received a letter from the Minister, praising his accomplishment and the invitation to reward him the Order of Merlin Award for this feat. Valeria and Eileen were elated with this news, and Severus was happy about the outcome. The Evans were also very excited about Maximus' award and had congratulated him profoundly. The Lupins also congratulated him and thanked him again for the invention.

After the Testing of the Wolfsbane Potion, the Princes had extended their invitation to the children's weekend tutoring session to Remus as well. Lyall was very grateful of the wolfsbane potion but that did not mean he trusted the Princes yet. However, Hope, unlike Lyall, liked Lord Prince after meeting him in person in Sweden and had quarreled with her husband about his disposition on the Prince family. Lyall was first shocked when he faced an angry Hope since his wife was mostly gentle and mild-tempered. But Hope had put her foot down, and Remus was with her, eager to have friends of his own for the very first time. In the end, Lyall could not deny his son the opportunity of what seemed to be an excellent educational environment. He also did not want to face the ire of his wife anymore.

"Fine. I concede. You can both have your way."

Lyall reluctantly agreed to bring his son to the Prince's estate every weekend. That was how Remus joined the weekly tutoring sessions with a solemn Lyall in tow.

Even though Lyall has hesitant with this agreement, he was not a fool to deny the bright side of it all. Remus had started to learn a lot from the short sessions and seemed happier than ever with his weekly visit to Prince Manor. This arrangement had also given Hope and Lyall the chance to meet with the Evans family, and Hope and Rose became instant friends.

"We should talk with each other some more during other days. I have so much I want to know about the Magical community, but it's so hard sometimes to understand through wizards and witches perspective. I hope you can give me some pointers in balancing the two worlds"

Rose talked animatedly, and Hope was so glad to make a friend who she could talk to about everything. They were both talking about the muggle contraption, such as telephone, and postal services which Lyall never tried to understand, but in the end, agreed to connect their floo to communicate with each other.

In contrast to the fast developing relationship between the Evans and the Lupins, it took a while for Hope and Lyall to actually meet Eileen in person. Eileen avoided them at first, due to her prior action towards their son. Eileen had finally admitted to Valeria about her problems after her breakdown when she "rescued" Remus. She decided to get help with her psychological wounds inflicted by Tobias and talked with her mother about options. Valeria was relieved when her daughter started to go to the mind healer voluntarily, and even to the group meetings for abused witches which the mind healer recommended. It had taken another few months for Eileen to finally face the Lupins, but Hope was very understanding and tried to be as friendly as she could towards Eileen. Lyall still had a little grudge against Eileen but tried to give her some space, since he noticed Eileen was timid and frightened of his presence.

Severus was surprisingly fine with the new arrangement having one of the to-be-Marauders included in his little group. Firstly, he knew Remus was the most loyal, well-mannered, and intelligent one within that wretched group. Importantly, the boy had not met the Marauders yet, so this Remus will have a very different inclination towards Severus, now that he knew him before going to Hogwarts.

Severus was first not sure of how much he could reveal himself in front of Remus and was worried if their encounter will cause unneeded stress on himself. But Lily's presence had made him be more like himself, and Remus seemed to not mind his acerbic remark or his commanding tone. Remus as an individual was quiet but bright and was adapting quickly to their new dynamics. The boy also was getting used to Severus' dry humor and sarcastic barbs, and often laughed with Lily by his cutting statement.

Sooner than later, Lily had included Remus as one of her "best friend," and Severus did not know what to think about that. Nonetheless, he was not threatened by the boy's presence since Remus seemed more attached to Severus than Lily and often talked about his concerns or his feelings only to Severus. Severus knew empathy was not his strong suit and usually gave blunt and direct answers which unexpectedly satisfied the boy.

After the development of the wolfsbane potion, Maximus and Severus toned down their experiments, and Severus started to work slowly on the conclusion of his thesis.

His attention was more on building a strong friendship with Lily so it would not falter when they started Hogwarts. He was not sure which house he would get in this time around, but he did not think he could room with Avery nor Mulciber ever again.


	17. Chapter 17 Hogwarts

The three children were all together doing their readings when three owls flew in holding the letter from Hogwarts. Lily squealed when she opened the letter.

"It's from Hogwarts! Yes! We all got our letters!"

Remus was also elated with the letter.

"I wasn't sure if I could get in, but I did!"

He refrained from squealing like a girl, but could not stop hugging his friends with joy.

Severus patted his shoulders awkwardly, understanding the relief the boy was feeling being accepted to Hogwarts despite his condition. Lily hugged her friend back with joy, not understanding the significance of the letter for Remus.

"I wonder which house we will be in. I hope we can all be in the same house!"

"I don't know, but I am sure the sorting hat will decide the best house for each of us"

Severus was truly not sure of his placement this time around. He had been the head of Slytherin for close to two decades and thought himself a Slytherin through and through. But he did not want to live with his previous classmates again. He had already gone through that road and it was not something he wanted to repeat. Being a Prince may change his status within the Slytherin, but if it did, that still means that his classmates would still be the snobbish purebloods who could not see anyone skin deep. Severus did not believe he would be accepted as a Gryffindor as Dumbledore had implied. He was also not sure if he could room with Potter and Black. However, his new friendship with Remus had already altered the dynamics of the would-be Marauders and hoped his werewolf friend will side with him this time around.

"Can we ask the hat to let us all into the same house?"

Lily asked Severus expectantly.

"You can certainly try. I am not sure if it will listen to you, though."

Severus had heard that sometimes the hat would listen to Student's desire, but not always.

"But which house? My father was in Hufflepuff."

Severus snorted.

"I doubt you will be in Hufflepuff, Remus. I bet you will be in Gryffindor with Lily. You are both too headstrong in your beliefs."

"What about you? If we are in Gryffindor, I want you to be in Gryffindor as well."

Lily said, but Severus just shrugged.

"I don't think I can be a Gryffindor. I think too much and can't be blindly courageous."

"Hey!?" Lily and Remus both shouted.

"Actually, I think you can be like that"

Remus was certain that Severus was the type who would do anything for whom he cared about. He could see that with the way he interacted with his mother, and with Lily and sometimes even with him. Severus looked affronted by his statement but sighed.

"Fine, if you two will be sorted to Gryffindor, I will ask the Sorting Hat to put me there as well. Happy now?"

Severus crossed his arms and arched one of his eyebrows, buy Lily just smiled brightly.

"Yes! And I will also ask the Sorting Hat to put us together!"

"I will too!" Remus said to show his support.

"Before we talk about something we have not answer to, is not there a more important topic to discuss?"

Severus smirked to the two puzzled faces.

"When shall we go and shop for our wand?"

The two faces brightened with understanding.

"We should all go together to get our Hogwarts supplies"

Lily said excitedly.

"I hope my father will allow me to come with you all." Remus sighed.

Although it has been close to a year since Lyall still kept his distance between the Prince. Holy was friendly with the Prince family and usually tried to mitigate between her husband and the Prince. Even with her interference, Lyall had been stubborn and did not let go of his suspicion against the Princes. He rarely joined the dinner the Prince and the Evans hosted, and Hope always apologized for her husband's absence.

"If your dunderhead father will say no, just bring your mother in the mix. Use your puppy dog eyes, and manipulate your mother so she can guilt your father into allowing the group trip. If you play your cards right, he may even buy you a new pet."

"Hmm. That is a very good idea, Severus. I should endeavor your ploy"

Remus said mimicking Severus. Severus snickered.

"Sev is a bad influence on you, Rem."

Lily sighed exasperatedly by the two boys' antics.

"You two may end up in Slytherin together"

"If so, you will choose Slytherin too, right?" Remus smiled at Lily.

They had been reading about the four houses for a while now, and Lily was a little scared of the Slytherin House when she read how Slytherin was not kind to Muggle-born students.

"Why don't we say, we will all ask to be put to wherever house the first one of us is sorted into?"

Lily answered diplomatically.

"That is acceptable."

Severus nodded, and the three of them shook their hands with promise.

"So, about our trip to Diagon Alley.."

The three children talked animatedly forgetting their readings until it was time for Lily and Remus to leave.

A week later, three children were walking down Diagon Alley with their guardians walking behind. To Remus' and Hope's delight, Lyall consented to this trip to Diagon Alley without much protest. Even Eileen joined the trip, wanting to see her son getting his very first wand.

"We should get our wand first"

Severus said and lead them all to Ollivanders.

"I am so excited! We can finally practice spells at our next tutoring session."

Lily was half-skipping. overjoyed by this fact. Remus was excited as well, feeling giddy with anticipation.

The three were able to get their wands with no problem at all. Severus was relieved when the same wand accepted him this time around, and he finally felt complete. He also noticed that each of his friends had the same wand as the first time around.

They all went to Madam Malkins next to get the robe. Severus was secretly enjoying being fitted to a new school robe. The first time around, he did not have enough money and had to go to the second-hand store that was located near Nocturn Alley to get his shabby robes for seven years. Now, he would have a brand new robe for Hogwarts for the very first time in his life.

When they went to the bookstore to get their supplies, Severus adamantly refused Maximus' offer to buy all the new textbooks and only got the books that his mother did not own or those that had a vast change in the latest edition. Maximus grumbled that Prince heir should get everything new, but Severus hinted how he would not use much of the text, so Maximus reluctantly agreed. They all got their potion kit (except for Severus who already had his own for some time now) new ink bottles, quills, and parchments. Lily was excited to buy all these new magical equipment since she always used the Prince's quill during their tutoring session.

Maximus had gifted the three children with an owl of their own which surprised all the three of them.

"They are all brothers and is well trained. I need not tell all of you to take good care of them."

The children thanked the elder Prince and hugged him with bright faces. Severus also hugged his grandfather with gratitude.

"Oh, thank you so much for the owl Maximus! You didn't have to do this, but we greatly appreciate your generosity."

Rose was already used to the generous nature of Maximus by now and accepted their gifts without hesitation already thinking of baking something in return. She knew his favorite was apple cream pie. Lyall and Hope also thanked the head of Prince, though Lyall said with a little awkwardness. After all this time, Lyall was still not used to the humble and generous Princes.

The day to leave for Hogwarts came sooner than imagined and Severus found he was reluctant to leave Prince Manor. The Manor had become his new home during his two years of stay. Maximus had given him a lot of freedom with his experiments, and many new happy memories with Lily was made in this Manor. Even though Hogwarts had been his home for most of his other life, many of the bad memories were also associated with that place.

He was also not sure if he could become a student again after being a faculty for more than fifteen years. Can he go back to the restricted life of the student when he had been an authority figure for a lot longer? Severus was too versed with Hogwarts rule and restriction and was even connected to her during that very short reign as a Headmaster. He just hoped to not slip up in front of his colleagues, and hide his true ability.

The day before his departure, Maximus summoned Severus to his study.

"I will be expecting nothing but Os from you, Severus. You need not hide much of your talent there. I know you are already an extraordinary wizard, but let the whole world know of your brilliance this time around."

Maximus smiled with pride.

"Thank you, grandfather. I would try not to hex whoever dunderhead teacher will be for my Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Severus also smiled towards his grandfather.

"I will miss you, Severus. I hope you will enjoy your time with your friends and have a happier time in Hogwarts."

"I will miss you as well, grandfather. I will owl you of the progress of my thesis."

"Actually, I have something for you that will ease our communication."

Maximus smiled and brought out a two-way mirror.

"This way, you can show me your progress and will be able to debate freely. I have already owled Professor Slughorn for permission to have a private Lab for you. He was delighted to comply, so you can freely call me through the mirror."

Severus snorted.

"Of course he will comply to a personal request from the Potioneer with Order of Merlin. Should I bring a crystallized pineapple for him when I see him to seal the deal?"

Maximus chuckled.

"If you want, Severus. I know Professor Slughorn is not a good professor, but he has his own use, and as a Slytherin myself, I will explore his usefulness as much as I can." Maximus gave a wicked grin. He still blamed Slughorn for the hardship his grandson had gone through. He knew the professor could have helped his grandson with finding a job or have stopped him from going over the edge if he had given a little support. Slughorn failed his duty as the head of Slytherin, and Maximus is going to make sure he would not fail his son again.

"I told him that in exchange for your private lab, you agreed to help him with making some of the potions for the infirmary. I hope that was acceptable?"

Severus nodded.

"That is fine. I have been making those potions for over 15 years. I already know the whole list and even know when each potion is needed."

"I also have couple more things to give you."

Maximus brought a magical briefcase and Gringotts Keys. Severus was surprised to see more than one Key and was curious about the contents of the case.

"These are the Keys to your Gringotts account. Both are under your name which I created a couple of years ago. This key is for the vault that contains your income from all of the potions you have created which are currently distributed through our Lab. It also includes all of Caius' income as well. You will already find a sufficient amount you could use for your personal use. I would have to stress that you should not use this for your practical needs, but only for your personal things. Here is your other key for the vault that was made for your school-related supplies. It is the same amount I have given to Eileen when she went to Hogwarts, so do not argue with me when you see the content."

Severus lifted one of his eyebrows wondering which way he would be arguing, of it being too little or too much.

"Now, this briefcase is for you to put in your private lab. I have stored all kinds of potion ingredients in this storage. I own something similar to this, which I use when I travel around the world. This will assure you have enough ingredients for your experiments at all times, and you would not need to steal from the school supplies. If you are low on anything, just owl me, and I will send you the ingredients."

Maximus put the case down on the floor and opened it to reveal a stair going down to a dark room. Maximus entered inside first, then beckoned Severus to follow. When Maximus lighted the room, Severus was astonished to see a cozy room filled with cupboards full of potion ingredients. There was a door on the far end which opened to a bigger room, also filled with rows of shelves with various ingredients. Severus was astonished and touched by the gift and hugged his grandfather to show his appreciation. Maximus was startled by the sudden hug which his grandson initiated. Severus only gave hugs for show when they were in front of the others, but had never hugged him when they were alone. Maximus was glad he made the decision to give him this briefcase Just to see how much his grandson appreciated his gift was worth all the money he had used for this briefcase.

He smirked to himself imagining how Severus would be surprised with the amount in his Gringotts account. The personal vault of Severus he had created was rapidly growing since most of Severus' creation was their Lab's top seller potion. He did not add any amount of money in there, but solely his grandson's share of the profit, and it was already bigger than the amount he put in the other vault which was created for the seven years supply for schooling, clothing, and allowances. His grandson will be one of the richest individuals by the time he will be graduating Hogwarts.

All the Princes, including Eileen, apparated to Kings Cross Station and met the Evans at the platform. The Lupin's joined in too, and although there was slight tension in Eileen when she saw Lyall, she was more absorbed with her son leaving to Hogwarts.

"We will miss you all immensely. Don't forget to owl us when you are sorted." Valeria hugged her grandson, then the other two surrogate grandchildren. Rose did the same to all of the children and kissed Lily goodbye. Lily had tears in her eyes but hugged all the adults including Eileen and Lyall. Severus hugged his mother and grandfather, and Remus hugged his father. The children waved goodbye again, then boarded the train.

The train ride this time was very different from the first time around. The three children occupied an empty carriage, but this time, Alice joined in shyly. Lily and Alice instantly became friends both being kind-hearted. Severus was amused to be surrounded with all the would-be Gryffindors. He tensed when Potter and Black knocked on the door and looked inside. They saw the occupied carriage and moved to another carriage which was a great relief to Severus. At least this time, he would not make an instant enemy in this train ride. The four shared the same boat ride when they arrived at the Hogsmeade station.

Severus was first dreading to look at his one time home, afraid of all the painful memories to come back. However, when he saw Hogwarts again he was surprised by the welcoming magic he could feel around him.

When he entered the gate, he felt something banging into him, and felt himself falter and nearly fall down the stairs. Remus and Lily caught him by the arms.

"Sev, are you alright!?"

Severus blinked not knowing what had happened but smiled weakly to his worrying friends.

"Thank you, I might have misstepped the stairs."

He now felt fine, so he just shrugged off whatever that had just happened.

"Be careful, that was a nasty misstep"

Remus and Lily kept holding his arm until they felt he had his footing back. Severus was touched by their display of friendship and smiled his thanks.

The Sorting began with the usual song and Professor McGonagall calling out the name of all first years. Same as before, Avery went to Slytherin and Black went to Gryffindor. He did not hold any strong hate towards Black anymore after he had sacrificed himself for Lily's son.

Lily was called first among them and stood up looking back worryingly at her two best friends. Severus gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Lily, we remember our promise."

Lily beamed and went towards the hat with a more reassuring step. When Professor McGonagall put the hat on, she heard a voice in her head.

"Mmmm, a very bright mind, and a strong heart. I see you want to be with your friends, so loyalty is also a strong suit. But I also see determination and courage to stand in your belief. Best be.."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.

Severus was not surprised by this outcome. He looked at each of his yearmates, so young with hope. He knew he could do nothing to those Death Eaters to be, and felt a little sadness of their future. Pettigrew was another story though, and only hatred consumed him when he saw the small figure. That backstabbing rat was a coward, that did not show any Gryffindor quality. He also had no loyalty nor brains. He should do better in Slytherin, being a selfish two-faced rat. Then, to Severus' surprise, something different happened.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Peter looked shocked since he wanted to be in Gryffindor like his parents. He was ushered by Professor McGonagall to go to his new table. Severus was bemused wondering why the hat made the changes this time around. Potter was in Gryffindor again and strutted towards Black. The two marauders were happily congratulating each other. Severus sighed to the making of the two of the worst bullies in their year.

Remus was also chosen a Gryffindor and he could see Lily and Remus waiting in anticipation for Severus to come. Severus was worried about where he would end up with, truly not knowing what his quality was. He would try to ask the hat if he could be placed with Lily and Remus. When it was his turn, and Professor McGonagall put the hat on him, the first thing the hat told him surprised him to no end.

"Welcome back Headmaster, we have been waiting for your arrival."

"What do you mean waiting? and I am not the Headmaster, that is Dumbledore"

"Dumbledore is the appointed Headmaster by the Ministry and the board, but you are whom Hogwarts have chosen. Why this second chance you have acquired was a gift from Hogwarts herself. Headmaster Prince, you have all the magical being within the power of Hogwarts under your command, and if you want to go to Gryffindor, then that is where you shall be."

"Wait! what do you mean all the magical being is under my command? What happens if there will be a conflict of interest with Dumbledore? Is Dumbledore aware of this?"

"Well, as I have said, anyone under the Hogwarts magic including the ghosts, paintings, house elves, merpeople, and all the creatures in the forbidden forest will put your command above anyone including Dumbledore. However, Dumbledore is not aware of this change yet. He may notice some differences, but Hogwarts will make sure your secret is protected within her walls which you seem insistence on having."

"I have never heard of anything like this happening. Why did she choose me? I was a Headmaster for a very short time and under the order of the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. I was never even officially appointed by the Ministry"

"Yes, but Hogwarts saw everything you did during your years within this wall, and she deemed you worthy of a second chance and the title as our Headmaster. You have proven yourself in loving and caring the students above your own life. You have thrown your life and your dreams to the mission and never had any other agenda but to take care of the students. Dumbledore was already losing his hold with Hogwarts when he repeatedly tested Harry Potter within Hogwarts ground, and he lost all his right to our magic when he asked you to kill him. It was selfish of him to put all the responsibilities on you when it was his own stupidity that resulted in that nasty curse. Dumbledore also had no right to take away your future dictating your whole life by using your guilt. You should know that you were never responsible for Lily's death. In fact, you have helped Lily protect her son. Voldemort had repeatedly asked Lily to step away, but since she sacrificed herself despite getting a reprieve, Lily was able to protect her son through old magic. Fawkes will also respond to you, but for now, he will stay by Dumbledore's side. You can summon him as you wish."

Severus could not believe what he was hearing, but he could feel the Hogwarts' magic pulsing through him. He poured his thanks towards her and felt her respond to his magic. He now understood what had banged him at the gate. That was Hogwarts hugging him back to his home. He blinked his eyes to stop the tears that were threatening to come out. He could not cry in front of the whole school. Then he saw the room eerily silent and noticed he was taking too long.

"Thank you, you can proceed with my sorting." He could feel the sorting hat smile.

"Don't forget, we will all protect you and what is yours." The hat said in his mind and shouted,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

He could see Lily's face brighten, and Remus giving him a thumbs up. He smiled at them and walked confidently towards his beloved and his best friend. Alice also had joined them, and they made a little group of four talking animatedly about Hogwarts and the feast.

Towards the end of the feast, they saw all the ghosts swishing inside the great hall who surprisingly, lined up above the student body. The first years noticed that the elder students were surprised as well when they saw all of the ghosts, including Peves, bowing to the students. Severus nodded to the ghosts with a smile and understanding. They had come to show him their respect.

"Well, I have never seen the ghosts do that in my entire career. I wonder what that was about, Albus."

Professor McGonagall was bemused by the behavior of their ghosts.

"Mmm, I have no idea Minerva, but we may have gotten a special set of children this year."

Professor Dumbledore said equally surprised by the ghosts action.

"Now that the surprise entertainment by the ghost seems all done, I think it is a good time to end the feast and bring the first years to their dorm."

Dumbledore stood up to give the usual announcement and bode the students farewell.

When they went inside the Gryffindor dorm, the Fat Lady had also bowed towards the children which surprised all the Gryffindors. Severus heard Potter say to Black proudly.

"I bet the ghosts and the paintings are showing respect to us, the heir of the noble pureblood."

One of the elder Gryffindors heard the comment and denied this fact.

"Don't think you are that special, little boy. In Gryffindor, we don't care about blood status. Every Gryffindors will respect each other, do you understand?"

Potter's face flamed, grumbling that he is not those pureblood supremacists. Severus internally cheered Molly who was able to put Potter in his place. Professor McGonagall made a short speech about the rules within the dormitory, then gave everyone their class schedule. When the boys and the girls were separated to their respected rooms, Lily hugged Severus and Remus good night.

The first year Gryffindor consisted of Potter, Black, Remus, Frank Longbottom, Caedmon Hughes, who Severus did not remember at all, and himself. He had never talked to Frank Longbottom, but he seemed to be a friendly soul, and not as agitated as his son. Caedmon seems to be friendly as well, and he noticed Frank and Caedmon hitting off. When Potter claimed the far left bed as his bed, Severus chose the bed that was the most farthest from him. Remus chose the bed next to him and Black chose the bed next to Potter which left Frank and Caedmon to be in the middle. Severus tried to be civil with Black and Potter and introduced himself as Severus Prince.

"Oh, so you are the mysterious Prince heir my parents were talking about." Black said amused.

"From what they were saying, I thought you will be a Slytherin. Aren't most of your ancestors a Slytherin?" Black snickered.

"Aren't yours as well?"

Severus arched his brows, and Black's face flamed and shut his mouth.

"Hi, I am Remus Lupin."

Remus inserted himself into the conversation, trying to calm the tension that came about.

"Hey, I am Caedmon Hughes. Nice to meet you all" Caedmon waved to everyone with a friendly smile.

"I am Frank Longbottom. I've seen James, Sirius, and Caedmon in some of the gathering, but I haven't seen you two before. Please to meet you two"

Frank smiled and introduced himself in a friendly tone, and all the boys quickly went on to place their things around their beds. Professor McGonagall knocked on the door and came into the room.

"I hope you are all having no trouble, please talk to our Prefects if you have any questions or problem. Mr. Lupin, may I have a word?" R

emus nodded and followed his head of house out the room.

"What is that about?"

Potter asked curiously. Severus did not say anything knowing that this was about his werewolf status. She was probably talking about the procedures they will be taking every month, but it should not be that hard this time around with their wolfsbane potion. He remembered that Dumbledore did not talk about the danger of the Whomping Willow. Maybe Remus will be just placed in a secured room this time around. There was also no need for Remus to stay at the infirmary to recover from the pain, so his friend will not miss any of his classes.

Suddenly, an image appeared in his head of Remus and McGonagall in one of the secret rooms close to the Gryffindor tower.

"Thank you, Hogwarts."

He silently thanked for the information sent through her magic.

This connection was very useful, but he promised himself to only use this on emergency and should not abuse his power. Hogwarts approved his decision and brushed her magic.

When Remus came back, Potter asked why McGonagall wanted him, and Remus just mumbled something about his sick father which surprisingly Potter apologized for. Severus then remembered about Potter's parents also being frail of their old age. Potter seemed to be bearable and less obnoxious as a housemate, and Black did not seem to be abhorrent as of yet.

They all slept, tired from excitement but Severus wrote a letter to Prince Manor about their first day.


	18. Chapter 18 Child Prodigy

Next morning, he woke Remus up and they readied for their first day of school. The two met up with Lily and Alice in the common room. Lily saw Severus holding two letters and he explained these letters were for Maximus and Eileen which he will be owling. He told them that he will go to the owlry since his owl was not back in his cage, then join them at the great hall.

"Are you sure you can find your way to the owlry?"

"I will be fine. I will ask the portraits or the ghosts if I get lost."

"I'll go with you. I need to know the owlry anyway when I send my own letter later."

Lily said to Severus holding his hand. Severus was a little surprised to see Lily cling to him. She was not like this the first time around.

"OK. How about you Remus? Alice?"

"I'll go too, as Lily said, I'll be sending a letter to my father too, and it seems our owls are enjoying the owlry than coming back to our room."

Remus replied. Alice also followed them saying they still had time. Severus walked towards the owlry feigning to get lost a few times, and nobody commented on him how he knew where to go in the first place. Severus sent both letters with his own owl, and lead them all to the great hall, with enough time for breakfast.

While they were at the great hall, they checked their schedule excitedly. Severus saw that they had charms, transfiguration, and potion today, and sighed in displeasure with the fact that he had to deal with Slughorn from their first day of school.

Of course, Charms was a breeze earning five points for achieving the levitation charm with his first try. Even Lily and Remus was able to do the charm after two or three incantation thanks to their tutoring session right before school started.

Lily and Remus helped with Alice and Frank who was sitting next to them respectively while Severus was sandwiched between Lily and Remus looking bored out of his life. Severus looked around snickering internally when he saw Potter and Black's attempts.

When Severus, Lily, Remus, and Alice arrived at the Transfiguration room, they were the first one there. Severus surprised Professor McGonagall by greeting the cat sitting on the table.

"Good morning Professor McGonagall."

Lily and Remus was surprised by Severus speaking to a cat, but chose to follow his lead and also greeted the cat with respect. Alice also imitated their gesture, though questioningly. The cat just meowed and went back to watching the door. The four sat by the desk up front, and other student scattered in paying no attention to the cat. The chime rang and the students impatiently waited for their professor to arrive. A minute later, Potter and Black came rushing in.

"Great! The professor isn't here yet!"

Potter said breathlessly sitting with Black at the back. That was when the cat transfigured herself to Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, five points each from Gryffindor for being late to class."

McGonagall said sternly. She then turned towards Severus and smiled.

"Mr. Prince, you, however, were the first student who has ever noticed my presence. You will receive ten points and Mr. Lupin, Ms. Evans, Ms. Wyatt will receive two points each for trusting and respecting your friend."

They beamed at each other happily for gaining more points. Severus gained another five points when he successfully transfigured a match to a needle in one try. He then gave some pointers to his other three friends who were all able to change their matches into needles by the end of class. Frank and Caedmon joined in asking tips from Severus, and Severus helped them out too.

They were both one of the few who could transfigure within their first class and thanked Severus for his help. Potter was also able to change his matches showing glimpses of his talents in transfiguration, which Severus knew Potter possessed. Professor McGonagall was in a very good mood after the class, stating that it was her first time ever to have so many complete transfigurations achieved by First-year students in their very first class.

Slughorn was as annoying as Severus remembered him to be. The potion professor went through the list of attendance measuring up all the first years if they were beneficial to him or not. Severus was a pity member of the Slug Club the first time around, only asked to join by Lily's insistence who took all the credits of his creativity. He never minded Lily taking the credit since Lily looked upset and ashamed, apologizing to him every time that happened, until she ended their friendship, of course. When the friendship ended, his invitation to the Slug Club ended as well. This time though, he felt like a prey or a favorite toy of Slughorn with that bright smile that was aimed when his name was called.

"Mr. Prince, the grandson of the most renowned potioneer of this day. I have heard your brilliant grandfather praising you, Mr. Prince. I am quite excited to see your talent in this class! Meet me after class about your private lab I have set up for you."

He could hear other students snickering or whispering among each other except Lily and Remus who just encouraged him.

"They'll all know how brilliant you are by the end of class!"

"Don't worry about the others"

To Severus' surprise, the first lesson in potion was his intermediate bloating potion.

"This potion is what I first made a year ago, isn't it?"

Remus smiled happily.

"Class, this is a recently developed potion which can show you all the basic techniques necessary for creating a potion. Let's see how much you already know, shall we? Please raise your hand if you have any questions."

Slughorn instructed where to get the ingredients and all the students started to put out their cauldron.

"Severus, why did the professor say this was a new potion? How come you knew this since more than a year ago?"

"My grandfather taught me this potion. This potion was actually made by my grandfather's apprentice a few years back. He published it a year ago, and was able to put them in this year's textbook."

Severus answered.

"Oh, you mean the person who was helping me?"

Remus whispered, and Severus nodded.

Remus knew Caius because Caius was responsible for his group, and interviewed all of them on the day of the testing of the wolfsbane potion months ago. He still wrote back every month to the apprentice of his condition after the full moon, since he was one of the werewolves who was given the wolfsbane potion for free through the continued participation to the Werewolf Program. The program sent a short survey every month with the free potion, and the werewolf just had to answer questions such as whether they experienced any pain, or any loss of memory that month. Maximus wanted to look at the long-term effect of the potion, and use this information for their next step in creating the true cure.

Severus, Lily, and Remus were already in the simmering stage of the potion while the others were struggling with the cutting technique. Alice and Frank were both looking at them pleadingly, so Lily went to Alice, and Severus went to Frank to give them advice. Caedmon was decent with his brewing but Remus noticed the disaster Potter and Black was making, so he kindly went over to help the two. Slughorn noticed his three students helping out the others, and was delighted to know that not only was the Prince heir great in potion but also his seemingly best friends, and made sure to remember their names.

Severus remained after the potion class alone as requested by Slughorn, telling Lily and Remus that he will join them in the common room later. Slughorn had an annoyingly bright smile and brought Severus to one of the secret room in the dungeon where he found a very small lab with few cauldrons and vials.

"You can use this lab as you wish. You can also use any of the ingredients in the storage, as long as you inform me beforehand."

Slughorn smiled at Severus.

"Thank you very much, Professor. May I stay here for a while? I would like to set up my own workplace here."

Severus asked Professor Slughorn politely.

"Of course, of course! Just tell me when you leave."

Slughorn went to his office with a smile on his face. Severus closed the door and started to unshrink his trunk and the mirror he had been carrying in his pocket. He put the trunk on the floor by the desk and grabbed the two-way-mirror to call his grandfather.

"Severus! I see you had gotten your private lab! We got your letter this morning about your sorting to Gryffindor. We are all glad you are with your best friends."

Maximus smiled at Severus.

"Actually, I wanted to update you in some information I have gathered. I believe nobody is around you?"

Maximus nodded and waited for Severus to speak. Severus put his Muffliato Charm on himself, to make sure he was not heard by anyone accidentally. He cleared his throat still thinking on how to word his connection with Hogwarts. They stayed staring at each other for a while.

"Come now, Severus. We do not have all day"

Maximus wanted to know why his grandson was this hesitant.

Severus sighed.

"Well... my sorting to Gryffindor is not quite true per se."

Severus cleared his throat again. Maximus frowned.

"I have been appointed by Hogwarts herself as the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Severus blushed. Maximus' eyes grew large.

"In fact, she was the one who had given me this second chance. I have a connection with her now, so I can monitor the school, and give assistance when needed."

Severus said matter of factly. Maximus did not know what to say at all.

"The sorting hat has informed me that my command can overpower Dumbledore's command. Before you say anything, I am not in anyway planning on abusing this power. In fact, I feel I have to look after the students from now on."

Severus was actually not sure how to feel about this. Looking after the children was second nature to him now, but the current students were all his elders the first time around. Just thinking about James Potter or Sirius Black or even Lucious Malfoy as his student was weird in itself.

"Well, at least I would have help when I stroll around Hogwarts now."

Severus noticed his grandfather had stilled through the mirror.

"Grandfather? Are you alright?"

Maximus did not know what to say at all. He could not believe his grandson was now The Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had read somewhere about a legend of a Headmaster who was able to talk to Hogwarts. It had happened once in the 500s, but none of the headmasters had the connection after that. Dumbledore was one who was very close to Hogwarts than any other headmasters since, and Maximus would have never imagined Hogwarts to choose his grandson over Dumbledore. His grandson has surpassed everything Maximus imagined. He also knew this was not the last surprise he was going to get from his genius grandson.

"Grandfather?"

Severus was now worried since Maximus had not reacted this way even when he revealed himself years ago. Maximus blinked a few times then finally commented.

"I am sorry, it is not every day to hear your grandson to be the legendary Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Maximus coughed. It was Severus who blinked with surprise.

"Is that some kind of a joke I am supposed to understand? I thought all Headmasters had a connection with Hogwarts."

Maximus laughed after he heard his grandson's reply. Severus frowned by his grandfather's sudden outburst.

"I thought you knew everything, Severus. Clearly, you have never read _Hogwarts, A History_!"

Maximus said between his laughter. Severus blushed, embarrassed by the truth.

"Well, Headmaster, I think it is about time you read the book"

Maximus smirked.

"Good night, Severus!"

Maximus shut the connection with a big grin. Severus grumbled and felt Hogwarts laughing at him too.

"Fine, I will read the book!"

Severus harrumphed and went back to the dorm, passing by Slughorn's room on his way back to the dorm. That night he took out the book he had never given his time to read but fell into a deep sleep without finishing the first chapter.

By the end of the week, Severus Prince was the talk within all the faculty members.

"His transfiguration skills are already in the level of my upper grade. Have I already told you how he was the first student to acknowledge my cat form?"

Professor McGonagall had never been this happy to have one of her Gryffindor be the talk among her colleagues.

"His skills in Charms are also brilliant! Albus, was it possible to have a student skip grades? I do not recall any student skipping any grades, but Mr. Prince seemed so bored in my class, and I cannot have that happen!"

Professor Flitwick was also excited about his talented student. Slughorn, of course, had to chime in.

"Well, I have provided him with a private lab by his grandfather's request. I might see if he would be willing to assist me during classes. He seems to have a flare in teaching his schoolmates, and I have to say that our first year Gryffindors are by far the best students I have ever had in my entire years teaching potion! I am sorry to say this Filius, but even your Ravenclaws had never been this good."

Professor McGonagall was pleased and proud to hear her Lions praised so highly. This had never happened before since the Lion's were known to be more of a troublemaker than an academic.

"To answer your question, Filius, I do not think it is possible to skip grades since magic needs time to grow. But then, as Horace had said, you can give him a different curriculum that can challenge his skills."

Albus was amazed to hear a student excel this much from such a young age. Even Albus himself was an over average student during his first year. He was aware that the Princes were purebloods with exceptionally strong magical ability, and remembered how Maximus Prince had excelled in his classes. He did not recall much of Eileen Prince, only being the captain of gobstone and winning some awards.

Maximus may have provided a more extensive education for his grandson before coming to Hogwarts, due to the boy being the sole heir of their vast fortune. He knew some purebloods provided that kind of extensive education while poisoning their children with extreme pureblood beliefs. Nevertheless, Severus Prince was sorted into Gryffindor, so the boy was likely to be more open-minded and courageous than Maximus. Was not his best friend a muggle-born witch? Dumbledore then recalled the sorting hat taking quite some time to sort the boy that first day. Maybe he should ask the hat what the boy's mind was like. He hoped a brilliant boy like Severus Prince will not tread towards the dark path.

By the time Halloween was at the corner, it became common knowledge for all the students in Hogwarts about the child prodigy that was Severus Prince.

"I knew you were brilliant, but I didn't know how much, Sev."

Lily was so amazed and proud of her best friend praised by all of their teachers.

"You and Remus are doing brilliantly as well. I don't know why everyone is only talking about me."

"That's because you can do all the spells only by a couple of tries, Severus."

Remus chimed in.

"We are doing well because you are helping us. And we both appreciate your help immensely."

Lily nodded her consent.

"We appreciate your help too!"

Alice, Frank, and Caedmon joined into their conversation. During the first week, Frank and Caedmon was friendly with James and Sirius but then started to edge towards Remus and Severus, since both were not interested with the two boy's snickering and bullying the Slytherins.

Peter Pettigrew turned out to be Potter and Black's prime target this time around, and he nearly felt sorry for Pettigrew since he knew what it felt like to be in his shoes. However, he was not too sorry to stop or help Pettigrew in any way.


	19. Chapter 19 The Slytherins

Today was Halloween, and Severus knew he was brooding. For the past two Halloween, he never thought about the tragedy that occurred in Godric's Hollow. Maybe it was because of the totally different environment he was in, and the fact that they only had a quiet Samhain celebration within the Prince family member.

But this year, being back in Hogwarts and looking at the Halloween decorations for the Halloween feast, the memory of himself seeking solace within his room in the dungeon, and drinking a glass of Firewhiskey to commemorate his Lily had come back in full force. Sitting in the great hall did not help at all, and even though they were having lunch, Severus was already itching to have a glass of Firewhiskey. He was positive he could obtain the drink if he wanted to but refrained from trying since he was certain his little body will not be able to tolerate the hard liquor as of yet.

"Are you alright, Sev?"

Lily's green eyes stared at him worriedly. Severus knew that tragedy had not happened yet in this world. Lily was alive and well right in front of him. And he will definitely keep her lively and happy as long as he was alive. But yet, that incident did happen in his past, and he still had the urge to reminisce the other Lily, who had died saving his son all those years ago.

"I guess I am not up to the feast today. I miss the Samhain celebration we have at Prince Manor." Severus smiled weakly, coming up with a valid excuse.

"Yeah, I miss carving pumpkins with my parents as well. It's so unfair that Tuney will still get to do it with them. And she thinks I have the better life" Lily who sat next to him started to pick on her food and pouted. She looked adorable, but Severus should probably not say that.

Petunia had not warmed up to the idea of magic, especially after they had found out about her letter to Dumbledore. Yes, that incident had happened again, but this time he did not seek the letter out. Since Dumbledore had sent his reply to the Evans household, Lily got the letter instead of Petunia during one of his visits and accidentally opened it. Lily had misguidedly confronted her sister thinking her sister was interested in magic now. Severus could see resentment and humiliation on Petunia's face, just like the first time around, and knew Lily would still have a very hard time with her sister.

"I know you miss your family but aren't you a little bit excited about the Halloween Feast tonight? I heard they will be serving lots of sweets!"

Remus joined into their conversation, trying to lighten the mood. He did miss his parents a little, but he was much more excited to experience his Halloween together with his friends.

"We're just missing home" Lily said quietly.

"Well, we will have some free time before the Feast. Do you want to do something together? What about that thing about carving a pumpkin? It seems doable since there are lots of pumpkins laying around. We can do it together this year, and make a new tradition, or something"

Remus wanted to share his excitement with both of his best friends and was willing to do anything to lighten their mood.

"We can certainly ask the house elves in the kitchen for pumpkins and knives. If you want to carve them, that is."

Severus did not understand what this pumpkin carving was about, but he did not want Lily to feel so down as he felt. Lily looked happy with their idea.

"Really? Will you both carve out pumpkins with me? It will get a little messy, but its loads of fun! After we finish, we can decorate them in our rooms!"

So that was how they ended up in the kitchen borrowing the utensils from the house elves and carving out faces to their pumpkin.

"This would be so much easier to do it by magic" Severus was appalled by the mess he was getting into. He could not get the face right, and it looked worse, the more he tried to work on it.

Remus chuckled and Lily giggled at the frustrated face of their usually aloof friend.

"Well, I guess you aren't always the best at everything" Remus smirked but Severus arched one of his eyebrows and looked at him, then Remus' also messy pumpkin.

"What? I think mine has some character than yours, don't you think?"

Severus snorted.

"Please, yours are as bad as mine. Lily doesn't count because she has the most experience with this thing."

Remus just shrugged and smiled, knowing his pumpkin was as badly carved as Severus' pumpkin was. Although he didn't mind the outcome at all, unlike his grumbling friend.

"I should throw this out" Severus muttered.

"No!" Lily stopped him.

"I'll give you mine, and you can give me yours, okay? I am going to decorate it in my room" Lily wanted to keep the very first pumpkin carved by her best friend.

"You want this thing instead of your own?" Severus said incredulously but was internally warmed by her action.

"Do you think it's possible to send this pumpkin home?"

Remus wondered looking at his own pumpkin.

"You can always shrink them and send it by owl. Your father can unshrink them when he gets it."

"Can you shrink it for me? I want to send it right away, so my parents can get it by evening"

Severus nodded and shrank it easily.

That night, Lily's pumpkin sat on Severus' night stand with a soft glow which he enchanted. The light had brought warmth to his heart, and for the first time since that awful night, Severus slept deeply with a slight smile on his face.

* * *

Severus had started making some of the basic potions for the infirmary instead of Slughorn after the professor tested his skills. Lily, Remus and occasionally Alice, Frank, had Caedmon came to help him with preparation and used the time to improve their own potion skills. They were all excelling in Slughorn's class.

By mid-November, it had become a routine for him to create and deliver his potions every Wednesday afternoon to the infirmary.

"Will you be going to your lab, Sev? I promised Alice to help her with her Charms homework so I don't think I can help you today." Lily asked.

"That's alright, I've finished brewing them. I just need to bottle the potions up and bring them to Madam Pomfrey, so why don't you all go ahead to the Library and start your studies?"

Remus and Frank nodded and joined Lily and Alice to the Library to finish their own Charms homework.

When Severus was walking towards his private lab alone he saw a group of Slytherins whom he all knew well in his original time. One of the Slytherin noticed him and signaled the others to surround the first year Gryffindor.

"Prince, I heard you are such a prodigy of the century or such rot. A lion should not come to the Snake den alone."

Avery taunted Severus, but he ignored the boy and looked at the figure standing in the back. So, it took a little more than two months for the elder boy to scout and make this move. Since he was in Gryffindor, Severus was not sure if the Slytherin would make a move at all towards him, but he was glad for this opportunity. Severus had been waiting for this attack all along.

"Lord Malfoy, nice to have your acquaintance."

Severus said politely, acknowledging Lucius as the heir of Malfoy. This two years, Maximus had not only taught magical thread to his grandson but also the status and power the Princes had within the upper class. He also learned of the more detailed politics within pureblood families, and the power structure he had never bothered to look up.

Malfoys were among the top ten of the most noble families including the Blacks and the Potters. However, Prince was in a higher rank than any and as so, they had the right to address the others first. If they did address them using their formal title, the others were bound to respect and be polite to those above them.

Many of the Slytherins were Gentry with no title, Esquire being the most. Avery and Mulciber were not even a Gentry, even though Avery was considered as one of the sacred twenty-eight, which Maximus scoffed with its idea. Maximus had stressed how stupid this notion of sacred twenty-eight was since Princes were not included in them. His grandfather explained how Nott, who was also not a Gentry, had come up with this stupid theory to claim his family's supremacy. On the other hand, Malfoys were considered in muggle term Barons, higher than any one of them currently present, but Princes were Dukes, a direct line of Royalties. Severus knew Lucius' manners were engraved within his upbringing and would not dare act below their title.

"Lord Prince, I am honored to have your acquaintance as well." Lucius stood straight and bowed. However, Severus could see his teeth clenched, indicating he was suppressing his pride. A Seventh year bowing to a First year.

"I have heard from my grandfather that your father is an excellent broker whom he would certainly be interested to converse. If Lord Malfoy would not mind, please extend my regards to your father. I do realize we are in different houses, but I hope we would not be in any conflict with each other. After all, I do respect the house of Slytherin, as my grandfather and my mother, both whom I admire have graduated from your house."

Severus smiled, then made a small bow that astonished the blond.

"Please forgive me, but I have an errand to run. It was a pleasure to talk to you, Lord Malfoy."

Severus walked through the Slytherins whose mouths were all agape.

"Hey, little twirp! You don't just go through us!" Avery tried to grab Severus arm.

"Stupify!" Malfoy startled everyone by stunning Avery.

"My deepest apology, Lord Prince. Please forgive my friend for his ill manner. I will certainly make sure they will not bother you again." Malfoy bowed, but this time he was annoyed by his housemates.

"I will also owl my father of your compliments. Have a good day." Malfoy turned and ushered the group towards the common room.

Severus had a plan with the Malfoys this time around. He knew Lucius always craved his father's approval and praise, so he gave what he wanted. An open invitation to the Princes which undoubtedly will satisfy Abraxas Malfoy.

Severus never hated Lucius when they were Death Eaters. He did sometimes abhor the way Lucius treated people but Lucius had always respected Severus of his intelligence and talent. Lucius was cunning and selfish, but he still regarded his family above everything, so Severus knew that whatever carrot the Dark Lord may dangle in front of Lucius, Severus could still sway him away by promising him much more money and safety for his future family.

Malfoys and the Blacks were the two most influential family that contributed immensely to the Dark Lord's cause. If he could at least cut the financial back up into half, he knew the Dark Lord will not gain as much power as he did his first time around. The Malfoys, especially, had deep connections within the Ministry and was able to deploy spies within its structure. If Malfoys will not become a Death Eater, then he doubted the Dark Lord could gain a strong footing in the magical world.

The only thing the Dark Lord had was a selfish agenda and a charm to influence people around him. Severus would try his best to openly reveal how selfish and poor the Dark Lord was, and let them see how he was nothing but a man trying to cheat his own death.

Severus went to his private lab and checked the status of all the simmering cauldron. When he was satisfied, he started bottling them carefully and put them in a potion bag to bring to the infirmary. On his way, he saw Potter and Black trying to attack Pettigrew from behind. Severus sighed at their antics and deliberately called their names out loud.

"Potter, Black, what are you two doing lurking about in the corridor? Do you not have other things, like Charms homework to do?"

Potter, Black, and Pettigrew were startled by his sudden voice, and Potter growled towards Severus. Pettigrew scurried away while the two Gryffindors faced their housemate.

"Prince! Why did you stop us! You knew we were trying to hex Pettigrew in the back" Severus just shrugged.

"I don't want you to lose any more of the points I gained, Potter. You and Black both have had so many points deducted from these stupid ploys."

"It's not stupid! We are just attacking our enemies before they start attacking us."

"Are you telling me that that weak minded Pettigrew is a true threat of yours? If that is so, then I will be much more concerned about your ability, Potter. Especially if you always have to attack him two on one, and from the back at that!"

Severus snorted, and he saw Potter's face flush.

"Well, I am not saying that he is my threat! I am just saying that he is going to be one of those evil Knights when he is older!"

"Did he tell you that? Or are you intentionally pushing him towards it?"

Severus crossed his arms. He really needed to understand why Potter and Black were doing this bullying. He had been a target for too long, and at the time, his hatred run too deep that being a Death Eater had become the only choice for him to defeat the Marauders. Potter and Black blinked.

"What do you mean intentionally pushing? We aren't doing nothing of the sort."

"Yes, you are. Pettigrew is a weakly minded twit, but I doubt he wants to be a Death Eater yet, especially if you know that his parents were Gryffindors and is working at the Ministry helping muggle-borns. But by attacking him relentlessly with no reason, I might add, you are letting him think that the only people who would help him are the Death Eaters. Is that your goal Potter? Do you want people to think only the chosen are of the light and all the other weaklings are to go to the Death Eaters for help?"

Potter and Black looked alarmed.

"My grandfather and my mother were a Slytherin, so I am not going to listen to you say all Slytherins are bad because they are not. They are all like us, children with possibilities. But your actions are taking away a lot of options. You two should think more about the consequences of your actions."

Severus curtly said and went on his way to the infirmary to give madam Pomfrey his potions leaving the two Gryffindors behind.

"Very well said, Mr. Prince. I must award five points to Gryffindor for a well-designed speech."

Madam Pomfrey was at the door waiting for him with a smile.

"I must say, your words were astonishingly insightful for a first-year student. I hope Mr. Potter and Mr. Black will change their ways. Mr. Pettigrew has been having more asthma attacks than any other students. Poor boy is so scared to death to even walk the corridors, which as you may have seen is a verified threat for him."

"I hope they do too, Madam Pomfrey. Here are my potions for this week."

Madam Pomfrey's face brightened and took the bag full of potions.

"Thank you, Mr. Prince. You have become a big help since Professor Slughorn often forgets to make our basic potions."

She opened and smelled the potion.

"And, always of the great quality. I have a suspicion that your potions skills are beyond Professor Slughorn."

Madam Pomfrey smirked lightheartedly. Severus blushed, not used to getting any sort of praise from Poppy. He was not even aware that she had the skill to distinguish the quality of potions. Severus bid goodbye to Poppy, and by the time he came back to the corridor, Potter and Black were gone. Severus truly hoped the two would stop this bullying soon.


End file.
